2 min readUpdated: May 17, 2026 03:12 PM IST
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar missed the team’s crucial IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Sunday, with vice-captain Jitesh Sharma stepping in to lead the side.
Jitesh walked out for the toss in Patidar’s absence, with Shreyas Iyer, as RCB looked to move closer to sealing a place in the IPL 2026 Playoffs. A victory against Punjab Kings would take Bengaluru to 18 points and confirm qualification for the knockout stage.
Patidar’s absence comes as a setback for RCB, given the excellent form he has shown this season. The right-hander has scored 337 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 192.57 and has been one of the driving forces behind Bengaluru’s strong campaign. He was not included in the impact subs list either. RCB brought in Venkatesh Iyer to strengthen the line-up as well as Suyash Sharma.
Jitesh confirmed that Patidar would be back of the team’s final league game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.
“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 us and other teams. Suyash replaces Rajat and Romario replaces Duffy,” Jitesh said at the toss.
This is not the first time Jitesh has captained RCB in the IPL. During the 2025 season, he led the side against Lucknow Super Giants in a memorable high-scoring chase. On that occasion, Jitesh smashed an unbeaten 85 off just 33 balls to help RCB chase down a daunting target of 227.
Punjab Kings, meanwhile, entered Sunday’s fixture under pressure after suffering five consecutive defeats in IPL 2026. Once firmly in playoff contention, PBKS have struggled badly in recent weeks and now face a must-win situation to keep their hopes alive.
