In a major blow for the franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Rajat Patidar was on Tuesday ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 due to an Achilles' heel injury.
RCB were recently hoping that the 29-year-old batter, who didn't take part in the team's first match, would be available to play for them at some stage this season but he has now been ruled out from the tournament.
The franchise has opted to not name a replacement for now. The likes of Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai and Mahipal Lomror are some of the Indian options RCB have in the squad to fill the void.
"Rajat Patidar will not take part in IPL 2023. RCB wish Rajat Patidar a speedy recovery and will continue to support him during the process," the franchise said in a statement.
"The coaches and management haven't decided to name a replacement for the player yet. They are focused on helping Rajat to recover and get back on the field," it added.
Notably, Patidar wasn't picked at last year's mega auction but came in as a replacement midway through the season following an injury to wicketkeeper Luvnith Sisodia. He finished the IPL 2022 as the third-highest run-scorer for RCB, behind du Plessis and Kohli, scoring 333 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 152.75.
The Madhya Pradesh batter was in very good form in the domestic season as well before he suffered an injury and went to NCA for treatment.The Faf du Plessis-led RCB will face Kolkata Knight Riders in their next game on April 6.