Rajat Patidar Joins RCB's Camp, MI Bowler Nastily Questions
IPL 2023: Patidar scored a smashed in Eliminator vs LSG last year (iplt20.com)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were hit with a massive blow when it was reported that their solid bloke Rajat Patidar would miss most of the season. Apparently, Patidar has been rehabbing due to a heel injury; but to RCB's relief, the 29-year-old has joined the team in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Patidar, who came as a replacement in the latter half of IPL 2022, was the star during Eliminator against Lucknow when his 112* not only bailed the team out of trouble but helped them post a 200+ score.
In 7 innings he played last year, the Madhya Pradesh batter notched 333 runs at impressive rates of 55.50 and 152.75, ending the season as Bangalore's third-highest run-scorer, despite playing 8 games less than others.
Social media abrupts after Patidar's arrival
On Saturday, a renowned media website reported that Patidar is set to miss at least the first half of the upcoming season. However, netizens across social media think otherwise. Questions have been raised on the internet about the RCB batter's fitness.
It is understood that the right-handed batter has already begun batting in RCB's nets, and he will be available for their first game this year.
Mumbai Indians' foreign recruit, Jofra Archer, also shared his piece of mind after the Bangalore batter joined the team ahead of the IPL 2023.
Interestingly, RCB will begin their IPL campaign against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians on April 2.
If Patidar's apparent news is accurate, RCB's case has gone from bad to worse as their prime pacer Josh Hazlewood is still recovering, while Will Jacks is already ruled out of the season. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Wanindu Hasaranga is unavailable for the first couple of matches due to his national duties.
 "Arjun Bhalla")
