RCB Suffers Significant Setback as Patidar Misses KKR Match and Hazlewood's Injury Persists
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has it tough ahead of their IPL 2025 fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 17. Captain Rajat Patidar was nursing an injury to the finger he injured playing against Chennai Super Kings on May 3. He had been told to rest and refrain from training for at least 10 days, a period coincidentally during which the IPL season had been put on hold, that may benefit him in healing. But his fitness for the next game is doubtful. Moreover, pace bowler Josh Hazlewood is suffering from a shoulder niggle, missing the last games, and his comeback is yet to be confirmed. All these injuries, coupled with Devdutt Padikkal's absence because of a hamstring injury, have weakened RCB's team as they enter the decisive playoff phase
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Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is set to resume after the break due to India-Pakistan tensions. The return match will be a thrilling one between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders on May 17 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The match is very crucial for RCB as a victory would earn them entry into the playoffs. But the team is in a difficult position with their captain Rajat Patidar expected to miss the KKR match.
Patidar is suffering from a finger injury that he sustained in a game against Chennai Super Kings. He is yet to recover and it seems that he will not be fit on time to captain RCB. There are reports that Patidar will take longer to recover before he can go back to playing. This is also a miss for the unofficial Test series between India A and England Lions which will be happening right before India's five-Test series against England. This is a massive loss for RCB who were banking on the leadership of their captain as they prepare to take on this do-or-die match.
RCB were all set to take on Lucknow Super Giants prior to the suspension of the IPL. But Patidar was already going to miss that game. In his place, wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma was selected to fill in and captain the team. Now with the game against KKR coming up, it's still uncertain if Patidar will be fit to play. If he is not available, it will be interesting to see who captains RCB in such a crucial game.
But the bad news does not stop there for RCB. Apart from Patidar's injury, their Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood is also injured. Hazlewood has been nursing a shoulder injury and it is very likely that he will miss the remaining tournament. Hazlewood had been looking to the IPL as an opportunity to regain full fitness following a run of injuries earlier in the year, including a side strain and calf issue. The team will be missing his experience and ability in the remaining games.
To add insult to injury for Hazlewood, he has been included in Australia's World Test Championship final squad against South Africa, to be played in June at London's Lord's. This will mean that Hazlewood will have to switch his attention to the Test series shortly, and his participation in the IPL might be truncated by his continued rehabilitation from the injury.
With both prime players—Hazlewood and Patidar—injured, RCB has an uphill task approaching the last bit of the IPL. The players will have to look to their other players stepping up and pulling through with commendable performances to reach the playoffs. Although the door is open for Patidar's comeback, Hazlewood's absence will be a stumbling block for RCB's team campaign. As the tournament continues, fans will be eagerly waiting to watch how the team responds to these setbacks and whether they can find a way past to make it into the playoffs.
