Rajat Patidar, IPL 2026 (Source: AFP)Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a crucial IPL 2026 match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.Both teams, eyeing the top-two finish, with RCB looking to secure the top spot and SRH hoping to break into the top two, are set to produce a cracker of a game. In the reverse fixture, SRH relied heavily on a mid-innings recovery after suffering early setbacks. For this match, the tactical battle between RCB's defensive left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya and SRH's explosive left-handed top-order, specifically Abhishek Sharma, will be one to watch. If Krunal can successfully choke the scoring rate or force an early error out of Abhishek Sharma during the power play, it breaks Hyderabad's primary mechanism for setting mammoth totals.However, for the IPL 2025 champions, the availability of their full-time captain, Rajat Patidar, remains a concern, especially as the tournament approaches its business end. What happened to Rajat Patidar?RCB captain Rajat Patidar missed the franchise’s must-win clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on May 17 due to precautionary concussion concerns after suffering a blow to the helmet in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Patidar had copped a nasty blow to the back of his helmet during RCB’s previous outing against KKR in Raipur on May 13. Also read: RCB Captain Rajat Patidar Ruled Out Of IPL 2026, Who'll Captain? Unusual Social Media Activity Gets Fans TalkingFacing just his second delivery of the innings, the RCB skipper mistimed a pull shot off a sharp bouncer from Kartik Tyagi and was struck on the back of the head after taking his eyes off the ball. Despite the hit, Patidar continued batting before eventually falling to Sunil Narine shortly after hitting the spinner for a six.With Patidar unavailable, vice-captain Jitesh Sharma led the side. At the toss, the stand-in captain asserted, “Rajat is doing fantastic now, and hopefully we'll see him in Hyderabad.”Will Rajat Patidar play today’s SRH vs RCB match today? On the eve of the high-profile match today, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, had said that captain Rajat Patidar is ‘good to go’ for the team’s final league game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He emphasized that the team was just cautious about his fitness and hence didn’t field him during RCB’s last match against Punjab Kings.“Rajat is good to go. We were cautious and did not take any risks with him. We thought we would give him a little bit longer to recover and rest, but he is here, he is practising, and he is good to go," Bobat said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.In conclusion, Rajat Patidar will most likely play today’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Defending champions RCB on a roll this seasonRCB have once again enjoyed a brilliant campaign under Patidar, combining explosive batting with disciplined bowling to establish themselves as title contenders for the second straight season.Virat Kohli's blazing form has been bolstering RCB. He has scored 542 runs in 13 matches at 54.20 so far.Moreover, the opening spells of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood have bamboozled the opposition. They could destroy SRH's top order on a two-paced Hyderabad track. Moreover, Krunal Pandya's variations are always handy.Also read: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli’s World Cup 2027 Absence Deemed To Be Far From Over
