Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star batsman Rajat Patidar has been ruled out of the entire tournament of IPL 2023 due to an Achilles heel injury. The 29-year-old was RCB’s third-highest scorer last year with 333 runs in eight matches at 55.50, including two fifties.
“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,” said RCB in a statement.
According to some sources, RCB is in talks with Mohammed Azharuddeen as Rajat Patidar’s replacement.
Mohammed Azharuddeen was with RCB in IPL 2022. He was bought by RCB for Rs. 20 lakhs after he smashed the second-fastest century in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy history, off only 37 balls against Mumbai. However, he didn’t get any game to play. Mohammed Azharuddeen seems to be the best replacement for Rajat Patidar. He’s dynamic, aggressive, and fearless, just like Rajat Patidar.
Apart from Mohammed Azharuddeen, players like Karun Nair and Luvnith Sisodia are also in the race to replace Rajat Patidar in RCB’s squad.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE:
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Michael Bracewell (replacement), Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav.