29-year-old right-handed batter Rajat Patidar ruled out of IND T20 League 2023

Another injury update in the Bangalore camp and this time batter Rajat Patidar, who played back-to-back blistering innings for the franchise last IND T20 League season, has been ruled out of the 16th edition of the league following an Achilles heel injury. The 29-year-old batter is currently focusing on his injury recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

Earlier Rajat Patidar was out of the initial matches of the league but now he will miss the entire tournament. Meanwhile, when BLR head coach Sanjay Bangar was asked a question related to Rajat Patidar's return this season, his answer raised hopes of Rajat playing some matches this season.

“Unfortunately, Rajat Patidar has been ruled out of #indt20league2023 due to an Achilles Heel injury. We wish Rajat a speedy recovery and will continue to support him during the process. The coaches and management have decided not to name a replacement player for Rajat just yet,” the Franchise shared it on Twitter.

Sanjay Bangar said, "As far as Rajat Patidar is concerned, it is a matter beyond our control. His treatment is going on at NCA and till now we have not got any clear information about him from this academy. As soon as we get any information on Rajat's recovery through NCA, our media team will share it. NCA itself has to decide when Rajat has to play next".

Rajat Patidar proved to be a game-changer for Faf du-Plessis-led Bangalore last season, having won the franchise some important matches with his sublime knocks. Last season, he got a chance to play 8 matches and in these matches, Patidar scored 333 runs at a batting average of 55.50 and a strike rate of 152.75. In these 8 innings, Patidar also scored two half-centuries and one century. In his absence, BLR's top order may look a bit weak.

At present BLR's two lead bowlers are also out in this IND T20 League season. Aussie gun bowler Josh Hazlewood will also miss the first half of the season due to an injury, while Lankan star bowler Wanindu Hasaranga is still unavailable due to the T20 series in NZ. On the other hand, Maxwell is likely to make his comeback for Bangalore in the following games.