IPL 2023: Big Set-Back for RCB, Rajat Patidar Ruled Out of 2023 Season Due to Injury

IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore had a brilliant start to their season in the 2023 Indian Premier League. RCB locked horns with the five-time champion Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Bangalore was playing the first game at home since 2020, and they gave their fans a chance to witness a memorable win for their team. RCB registered an 8-wicket win over MI with 22 balls to spare. Adding to that, skipper Faf du Plessis and former skipper Virat Kohli scored runs with the bat.

Du Plessis scored 73 runs, while Virat made an unbeaten 82. They checked almost all the boxes with the bat in their hands. But one thing that bothered the team was the injury concern for Reece Topley. The English pacer injured his right shoulder while making a dive to stop a ball and was taken for scans. There is no official statement from the franchise yet on his injury. Notably, RCB is already suffering from an injury to Josh Hazlewood, who hasn’t yet recovered. But on top of that, the RCB suffered yet another massive blow.

IPL 2023: Rajat Patidar gets ruled out of the 2023 season due to an injury

On Tuesday, the franchise confirmed and released an official statement that star batter Rajat Patidar has been ruled out of the entire 16th edition. This is a big blow for Du Plessis and his team, as Patidar was one of the prime reasons that RCB did well in the second half of the last season. He joined the team as a replacement and ended up as the team’s third-highest run-scorer in 2022.

The 29-year-old made 333 runs in seven innings at an average of 55.50 and a brilliant strike rate of 152.75. He also scored a match-winning hundred in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants and made an unbeaten 112 to help RCB win that game. Patidar made one century and two half-centuries. Notably, a few reports were confirmed earlier that he might join the team in the second half.

He was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, undergoing his rehab. The franchise will have to look for an ideal replacement for the 29-year-old. Though they have the likes of Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, and Suyash Prabhudessai in the team. Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik batted at No. 3 in the first game against MI. The franchise might announce his replacement soon. Meanwhile, RCB will look to take the ongoing season forward. In their next game, they will face KKR at Eden Gardens on Thursday.