RCB captain Rajat Patidar (Photo: X)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be without regular captain Rajat Patidar for their IPL 2026 decider against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, with wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma set to lead the team in his absence.According to sources, Patidar did not travel with the team to Dharamsala and also missed two training sessions ahead of the much-awaited rematch of the IPL 2025 final, where RCB defeated PBKS to lift their maiden title.“Rajat Patidar will not play today. Jitesh will captain RCB in this match. Patidar was not seen in the team’s travel videos and missed training as well. He is expected to return for RCB’s final league match in Hyderabad,” a source told IANS.Patidar has been one of Bengaluru’s standout performers this season, scoring 326 runs in 10 innings at an impressive strike rate of 195, including three half-centuries. His absence leaves a huge gap in RCB’s middle order and forces the team management to rethink their batting line-up for a crucial encounter.
RCB are currently at the top of the IPL 2026 points table and one more win will ensure they officially qualify for the play-offs.
The team enters the competition with strong momentum after winning two consecutive matches. Bengaluru will also continue to miss England opener Phil Salt, who remains unavailable due to a finger injury. As a result, fellow Englishman Jacob Bethell is expected to continue opening alongside Virat Kohli.
Playing XIIs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings:
RCB: Jacob Bethel, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash SharmaPBKS: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Locky Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal