RCB captain Rajat Patidar recovering from finger injury

Rajat Patidar, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain, is currently recovering from a finger injury that would have ruled him out for at least two matches had IPL 2025 not been temporarily suspended due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.

The tournament's temporary pause has given him at least a week's time to recover without missing matches.

Patidar suffered the injury while fielding during RCB's home game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3. He was advised to wear a splint to protect the finger and refrain from training for at least 10 days before the injury could be assessed.

RCB is being cautious with Patidar's recovery, keeping in mind his availability for the IPL playoffs and also his possible selection for the upcoming India A tour of England. The squad for the tour is expected to be announced in the coming days.

On Saturday, Patidar returned to Bengaluru from Lucknow with the rest of the RCB squad. Despite the setback, he was optimistic about playing the remainder of the IPL season should it resume in the next week following the announcement of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan on Saturday evening.

With Patidar injured, Jitesh Sharma was in line to lead RCB against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday before the BCCI suspended the IPL for a week on May 8.

"I was very grateful for the opportunity given to me," Jitesh said on RCB Bold Diaries. "They were giving me an opportunity to captain RCB and it's a very big thing for me and my family. I was thinking of what the right combination would be because both Devdutt [Padikkal] and Rajat were not available, and it was a big responsibility to replace them.

"And as per the position we were on the points table, we would have won this game. All of this was going on in my head and all the meetings with coaches and players in those two-three days, batting order, discussions with bowlers. I had good fun."

Patidar's injury is one of several RCB have suffered before the IPL was suspended. Opening batter Phil Salt was down with illness and was replaced in the XI by Jacob Bethell; Padikkal was ruled out of the season with a hamstring injury and replaced in the squad by Mayank Agarwal; and Josh Hazlewood had suffered a shoulder injury.

As of Sunday, all of RCB's overseas players and coaching staff had left India but were asked to remain on standby to return should the tournament restart.

RCB were second on the points table when the IPL was interrupted, with eight wins and three defeats from 11 games. Their remaining three fixtures are an away game against LSG, and home matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) but those venues could change depending on how the IPL rejigs the schedule for the rest of the season.