Bengaluru: In a piece of not-so-good news for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, they will miss Rajat Patidar’s services for the entire IPL 2023 as he has been ruled out with a heel injury.
The RCB think tank has not decided to name a replacement for Rajat just yet.
Patidar, 29, was undergoing rehab at BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru over the past few days and it was believed that he would be joining the side for the second half of the IPL.
Unfortunately for RCB, after crucial check-ups and a thoroughly vetted medical prognosis, he has been ruled out of the tournament for this edition.
IPL 2022 saw Patidar come forth with all guns blazing for RCB. He was initially picked up as a replacement for an injured Luvnith Sisodia and cemented his brilliance with a century in the Eliminator against the Lucknow Super Giants, post which he stitched another half-century against the Rajasthan Royals in the next game.
He finished the season as the third-highest run-scorer for RCB, raking up 333 runs at a staggering strike rate of 152.75. His IPL exploits also earned him his maiden international call-up, and although he is yet to make his debut, Patidar has proven his credentials well enough and RCB are certain to miss his skill with the bat.(UNI)