Faf du Plessis’ Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) side has suffered a huge blow in the form of star batter Rajat Patidar, as he has been ruled out of the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Tuesday. After hammering record-time winners Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2023 opener, RCB is gearing up for their second match of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.
Sharing a crucial update ahead of the mouthwatering clash between Bangalore and Kolkata, RCB has confirmed that star batter Patidar is set to miss the entire edition of the T20 tournament. Though RCB has confirmed the departure of Patidar from the IPL camp, the Bangalore-based franchise is yet to name a replacement for the injured batter.
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In a statement confirming the same, RCB wrote: “Unfortunately, Rajat Patidar has been ruled out of #IPL2023 due to an Achilles Heel injury. We wish Rajat a speedy recovery and will continue to support him during the process. The coaches and management have decided not to name a replacement player for Rajat just yet.”
Unfortunately, Rajat Patidar has been ruled out of #IPL2023 due to an Achilles Heel injury. 💔
We wish Rajat a speedy recovery and will continue to support him during the process. 💪
The coaches and management have decided not to name a replacement player for Rajat just yet. 🗒️ pic.twitter.com/c76d2u70SY
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) April 4, 2023
The breakout star of IPL 2022 was retained by the Bangalore-based franchise for the 16th season of the cash-rich league. Patidar was undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) ahead of the ongoing season of the world’s richest T20 league. Earlier, multiple reports suggested that Patidar will miss the first half of the IPL 2023 due to a heel injury.
The Madhya Pradesh batter has played 12 games in the IPL. The 29-year-old made his IPL debut against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in 2021. Averaging over 40, Patidar has amassed 404 runs in 12 IPL matches. In the absence of Patidar, RCB were forced to rejig their batting lineup.
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Veteran batters Kohli and Du Plessis opened the innings for Bangalore while wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was roped in as the No.3 batter against Mumbai Indians (MI). Former RCB skipper Kohli played a match-winning knock of 82* off 49 balls while skipper Du Plessis smashed 73 off 43 balls to help RCB thrash MI by 8 wickets in their IPL 2023 opener at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bangalore will meet former champions Kolkata on Thursday in their next IPL 2023 match.
