Rajat Patidar will return as Madhya Pradesh’s captain in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) from November 30. The experienced batter had suffered a left-knee injury in October and was reportedly ruled out for four months.

The development was a huge cause of concern for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Patidar, who took them to their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy earlier in the year, hasn’t just been one of their best batters but also their captain and leader.

Rajat Patidar injury-free

But now, RCB can take a sigh of relief. According to ESPNcricinfo, Patidar has been cleared to play for the Centre of Excellence (CoE). The right-handed batter was playing against Punjab in the Ranji Trophy when he experienced pain in his left knee. He played another match, for India A, at the end of October, and since then, Patidar has been in rehabilitation in Bengaluru.

He’s completed a 10-day rehabilitation programme and has been given an RTP (return to play) certificate by the CoE’s medical team. This bodes well for MP, who were the finalists in SMAT last year. Patidar hasn’t played any white-ball cricket since the IPL 2025 final and might need some time to get into the T20 groove.

As for his form, Patidar was on an incredible run before injury forced him out. As Central Zone captain, he scored two hundreds and two fifties in 3 matches and won the Duleep Trophy. This was followed by an unbeaten double hundred against Punjab, the match in which he experienced pain.

Despite being in career-best form, Patidar has struggled with injuries over the last couple of years. He missed the entire IPL 2023 season due to an achilles heel injury, and even during RCB’s title run last year, he was nursing a finger injury. Patidar will hope all that’s in the past now and make the most out of his peak.