Why did RCB suddenly change the captain? (Photo- PTI)
Rajat Patidar: The race for the playoffs in IPL 2026 has become very exciting. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore had to make a major change. Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Rajat Patidar did not take the field against Punjab Kings. Jitesh Sharma took charge of Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. Jitesh Sharma has captained RCB before also. RCB management was forced to make this change.
Why did RCB suddenly change the captain?
Actually, Rajat Patidar got injured in the last match against Kolkata Knight Riders. A bouncer from Karthik Tyagi hit the back of his helmet. Despite this, he continued batting, but was out after scoring only 11 runs. Due to which the team management decided to give him rest in this match so that he can be completely fit. Not only this, Rajat Patidar did not even reach Dharamshala with the team. At the same time, Jitesh Sharma told at the time of toss that Rajat Patidar will be seen with the team in the next match.
Higher altitude, higher stakes. motiv
Ready for an absolute blockbuster. ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/kL5VTTP3ai
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 17, 2026
Due to Rajat Patidar not playing, 11 changes were also made in the playing 11 of the team. Suyyash Sharma entered the team in place of Rajat Patidar and Romerio Shepherd entered the team in place of Duffy. Let us tell you, RCB is very close to making it to the playoffs. The team has 16 points from 12 matches and needs to win at least one of their remaining two matches to ensure playoff. After this match, their next match will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Playing 11 of both the teams:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (captain), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood.
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmutullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
