Why is Rajat Patidar not playing Today — PBKS vs RCB match 61 in IPL 2026
Why the regular captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rajat Patidar, is missing the IPL 2026 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala.
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The regular captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rajat Patidar, didn’t turn up in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. It has been a massive blow to the franchise’s stable batting order.
In the absence of Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, the wicket-keeper batter of the franchise, walked out for the toss with Shreyas Iye as the Bengaluru side had their eyes on two more points to confirm the qualification for the IPL 2026 playoffs, becoming the first side to do so in this edition.
Rajat Patidar not playing PBKS vs RCB IPL 2026 today in Dharamsala — concussion scare after Kartik Tyagi bouncer
This is not the first time Jitesh has led the RCB side in the IPL. During the 2025 edition against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, he smashed an unbeaten 85-run knock off 33 balls to complete the successful chase of 227 runs as the leader of the side.
Rajat Patidar’s absence is expected to be due to the concussion test after he was taken aback by the short ball from Kartik Tyagi in Raipur when they faced the Kolkata Knight Riders. He looked in discomfort at the first stage before continuing batting.
The Madhya Pradesh-born has been in a fabulous touch in the IPL 2026 as he has smashed 337 runs in 12 innings at an average of 33.70 and a strike rate of 192.57 with three half-centuries at the best score of 63 runs.
What changes for RCB’s batting order without Patidar at No. 4?
Due to the absence of the Indian batter, the defending champions needed an extra batting option in the middle order. That forced them to bring back their power-hitter, Romario Shepherd, into the eleven.
“We would have loved to bowl first, but the wicket is good and should play well for 40 overs. Rajat is doing fantastic, and we should see him in Hyderabad. Every game is important; this win can change a lot for other teams and us. Suyash replaces Rajat, and Romario replaces Duffy.” Jitesh confirmed at the toss.
Suyash has also marked his return to the side after sitting out in the previous home game.
From 6 wins in 7 to five straight losses— Shreyas Iyer’s PBKS arrive in crisis, not confidence
It has been a do-or-die situation for the Kings, who, after winning six of their first seven encounters, including a washed-out result, have experienced five consecutive defeats to be in the fourth position of the points table. Another defeat will take out their chance to finish among the top two.
In the clash against Bengaluru, they picked up the early wicket of Jacob Bethell. However, the visitors didn’t back down and continued their aggression from the very first ball.
See Also: Watch: Virat Kohli hails Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 'good enough lengths' as key to RCB's IPL 2026 success
Follow the PBKS vs RCB match 61 live scoreboard:
RCB- 159/3 (Virat Kohli 58, Harpreet Brar 2/35) vs PBKS
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