![Rajat Patidar will be back as MP's captain vs UP in SMAT [Source- katyxkohli17/X.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1764252895577_Rajat_Patidar.jpg?type=hq)
Rajat Patidar will be back as MP's captain vs UP in SMAT [Source- katyxkohli17/X.com]
Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar is all set to return to the cricket field after he was cleared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (COE) ahead of round 2 fixtures of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's title-winning skipper was last seen in action during the India A vs South Africa A unofficial Test at the end of October, where he suffered a knee injury. Despite a scare of a long-term absence, it was revealed that the batter just sustained a niggle and is fit to play from November 30 in the SMAT round 3 vs Uttar Pradesh.
Strong start to the season for Patidar
The Central Zone captain, who led his team from the front in their Duleep Trophy win has made a solid start to the 2025/26 domestic season, racking up runs for fun.
He finished the Duleep Trophy as the leading run-scorer, accumulating 382 runs in 5 innings, with scores of 125, 66, 77, 101 and 13. He continued his form while captaining the Rest of India squad vs the Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha in Irani Cup, scoring 66 in the first innings.
He went on to score a 205*(332) in the Ranji Trophy vs Punjab to guide his team to the first innings lead from 98/3.
His return to join MP will be a big boost for the team after they suffered a loss in their first match against Hyderabad. Sitting 7th on the table, they will play one more game before his return against Vaibhav Suryavanshi's Bihar on Friday.
They were notably also the runner-ups of the SMAT 2024/25, facing defeat at the hands of a star studded Mumbai in the final. Patidar had scored 428 runs at a strike rate of 186.08 in 10 innings and was tournament's second-highest run-scorer.
