RCB captain Rajat Patidar (Photo: X)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be without a regular captain. Rajat Patidar For their crucial IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, the wicketkeeper batsman Jitesh Sharma Appointed to lead the side in his absence.According to sources, Patidar did not travel with the squad to Dharamsala and also missed both the practice sessions ahead of the much-anticipated rematch of the IPL 2025 final, where RCB defeated PBKS to win their maiden title.“Rajat Patidar will not play today. Jitesh will captain RCB for this game. Patidar was not seen in the team’s travel videos and also missed training. He is expected to return for RCB’s final league game in Hyderabad,” a source told IANS.Patidar has been one of Bengaluru’s standout performers this season, scoring 326 runs at a strike rate of 195 in 10 innings, including three fifties. His absence leaves a big void in RCB’s middle order and forces the team management to rethink their batting combination for the crucial contest. RCB are currently at the top of the IPL 2026 points table and another victory will officially seal their playoff qualification. The team is heading into the competition with strong momentum after back-to-back wins. The Bengaluru franchise will also continue to be without English opener Phil Salt, who is unavailable due to a finger injury. As a result, fellow England batsman Jacob Bethel is expected to continue opening alongside Virat Kohli.
Playing XII for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings:
RCB: Jacob Bethel, Virat Kohli, Dev Dutt Padikal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (W/C), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash SharmaPBKS: Priyansh Arya, Prabhasmaran Singh (W), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Suresh Shidge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Umarzai, Harpreet Brar, Loki Ferguson, Arsdeep Singh, Yuzvinder Chahal
