Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar is unavailable for the IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Sunday, May 17, due to an injury. In his absence, vice-captain Jitesh Sharma is leading the side in this important playoff contest.
Patidar had suffered a blow to the helmet from a sharp bouncer delivered by Kartik Tyagi during RCB’s recent victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur. The right-handed batter appeared uncomfortable after the impact, though he continued batting following the mandatory concussion check conducted by the physios.
However, reports stated that he did not travel with the squad to Dharamshala for the PBKS match. Jitesh Sharma later revealed that Patidar is recovering well and could return for RCB’s final league-stage game against Sunrisers Hyderabad away from home.
“We would have loved to bowl first, but the wicket is good and should play well for 40 overs. Rajat is doing fantastic and we should see him in Hyderabad. Every game is important, this win can change a lot for us and other teams. Suyash replaces Rajat and Romario replaces Duffy,” Jitesh Sharma said after losing the toss.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Jitesh Sharma Steps Up Again As Stand-In Captain For RCB In IPL
The wicketkeeper-batter had also captained the side in a few matches last season when Rajat Patidar was sidelined with a finger injury. Although Jitesh Sharma lost his first match as Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he bounced back strongly with a memorable win over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium, scoring a brilliant 85 off just 33 balls.
Jitesh had first captained in the IPL during the 2024 season for Punjab Kings when both Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran were unavailable.
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