RCB Facing Selection Headaches as Patidar Injury Adds to Hazlewood Uncertainty

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are dealing with a fresh wave of concerns ahead of the IPL 2025 restart this Saturday, with doubts looming over the availability of their captain Rajat Patidar. The first game after the unexpected break will see RCB take on Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, but whether Patidar will lead the team remains a big question.

According to The Indian Express, Patidar injured his finger during RCB’s last match before the tournament was suspended – a home clash against Chennai Super Kings – and the damage might take longer than expected to heal. In fact, the injury could also rule him out of the India A squad that’s set to tour England. As of now, Patidar has been advised to wear a splint to support the injured finger, and his condition will be reassessed over the next few days. If the IPL hadn’t been paused due to border tensions, it’s believed Patidar would’ve definitely missed at least a couple of games. Whether he features again in the league at all will depend entirely on his recovery progress. 

Inside the RCB camp, there’s still a sliver of hope that Patidar might return toward the end of the season, possibly just to bat as an Impact Player. But with doctors telling him to stay away from the nets for now, that idea remains up in the air. If Patidar is ruled out for an extended period, RCB will be forced to name a new captain – and the obvious choice is Virat Kohli. He led the side until 2021 and has been the face of the franchise for over a decade. His leadership experience and calm head in crunch situations could prove vital. 

However, Jitesh Sharma is also in the mix. He was actually tipped to lead the team in their last match against Lucknow Super Giants before the tournament was halted. Jitesh was Punjab Kings’ vice-captain last season, so he’s no stranger to the responsibility, and could be a left-field pick if the team wants to manage Kohli’s workload. But RCB’s woes don’t end with Patidar. The team had already lost another key middle-order batter, Devdutt Padikkal, just before the break. Padikkal suffered a hamstring injury and was replaced by Mayank Agarwal, who is now in his second stint with the franchise. Padikkal’s absence also means the side lacks a left-handed option in their top five.  

To add to their problems, Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is unlikely to return. Hazlewood missed RCB’s last game before the suspension due to a shoulder issue and flew back to Australia during the break. His injury woes go back to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he missed three of the five Tests, and he has also sat out Australia’s Champions Trophy and Sri Lanka tour that followed. 

Even before IPL 2025 kicked off, there were questions about whether Hazlewood would be fit for the tournament at all. While he did join the RCB squad with a detailed rehab plan in place, it now appears unlikely that he’ll return for the remaining games. With the World Test Championship final against South Africa set to begin on June 11 at Lord’s, Cricket Australia is understandably keen to manage Hazlewood’s workload. Reports from Australia suggest that they’re not willing to take any risks with his fitness, and as a result, he might be kept out of the IPL entirely. 

For RCB, it’s turning into a tricky restart. They’re still in a strong position in the league table, but with key players either sidelined or in doubt, the second half of the campaign could get bumpy. As things stand, all eyes will be on Bengaluru this Saturday – not just for the match, but also for who leads the team out when they face KKR.