Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar is set to skip the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025 as the BCCI medical team has advised him to rest and recover. He won’t participate in the start of the upcoming Indian domestic season.
According to a Times of India report, Patidar is nursing a hand injury along with discomfort in his heel, most probably residual effects from a hectic IPL 2025 campaign. Although he’s been attending Madhya Pradesh’s off-season camp, he hasn’t resumed batting yet.
Rajat Patidar to miss Duleep Trophy
“Rajat is training at MP’s off-season camp, but he’s not been batting, as he has been advised to take a break and recover from the injury in his right hand by the BCCI’s medical team. He will miss the Duleep Trophy but should be fine for the Ranji Trophy,” a source told TOI.
Rajat Patidar, who played against England the last time they lost India for a Test series, could’ve been in the mix for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. However, the hand injury he picked up during the latter stages of IPL 2025 ruled him out of contention.
While the BCCI’s caution is understandable, there’s no denying that Patidar’s injury setbacks might have been aggravated due to his workload at RCB. The 31-year-old batter played through visible discomfort in the playoffs, even playing as an impact substitute.
But he soldiered on and history will remember him for it. Patidar led RCB to their first-ever IPL title, scoring 312 runs at a great strike rate of 143.78 and lifting the trophy after years of heartbreak for the franchise.
With the Duleep Trophy returning to its traditional zonal format this year, Patidar’s absence is a blow for Central Zone.
Indian domestic cricket 2025-2026 season schedule
| Tournament | League Stage (Start Date) | League Stage (End Date) | Knockout Stage (Start Date) | Knockout Stage (End Date) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duleep Trophy | _ | _ | 28-Aug-25 | 15-Sep-25 | Centre of Excellence |
| Irani Cup | _ | _ | 01-Oct-25 | 05-Oct-25 | Nagpur/Neutral |
| Ranji Trophy (Elite) | 15-Oct-25 to 19-Nov-25 (Phase 1) | 22-Jan-26 to 01-Feb-26 (Phase 2) | 06-Feb-26 | 28-Feb-26 | Home/Away |
| Ranji Trophy (Plate) | 15-Oct-25 | 19-Nov-25 | 22-Jan-26 | 26-Jan-26 | Home/Away |
| SMAT (Elite) | 26-Nov-25 | 08-Dec-25 | 12-Dec-25 | 18-Dec-25 | Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata (League) Indore (Knockout) |
| SMAT (Plate) | 26-Nov-25 | 04-Dec-25 | 06-Dec-25 | 06-Dec-25 | Pune |
| VHT (Elite) | 24-Dec-25 | 08-Jan-26 | 12-Jan-26 | 18-Jan-26 | Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jaipur, Bangalore (League) Centre of Excellence (Knockout) |
| VHT (Plate) | 24-Dec-25 | 03-Jan-26 | 06-Jan-26 | 06-Jan-26 | Rachi |
