In what could be a massive setback to the Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the start of their sixteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of their star players could now be out of action for the first half of the tournament. The news comes days before the start of IPL 2023 which is set to kick off on March 31 with RCB set to play their first match on April 2.

It is being reported that star Indian batter of the franchise, Rajat Patidar, could miss the team’s matches in the first half of the season as he continues to recover from a heel injury. This could be a huge blow to the team who were banking on him to continue his form from the previous season and help the team put up solid batting performances.

It is pertinent to note that Patidar was in great form in IPL 2022 and scored the fastest hundred by an Indian batter in the tournament, rising to the occasion and getting to the landmark in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants. He got to the three-figures mark in just 49 balls. He had replaced injured wicketkeeper-batter Lunvith Sisodia in the squad. Losing a domestic batter of his calibre could mean the team would now have to rework their strategy and figure out a new team combination.

A report carried by ESPNCricinfo has claimed that Patidar has been instructed to rest and not rush into Playing for at least the next three weeks. Moreover, there is no guarantee that will be able to play the second half of the season as the results of the MRI will then determine if he is a condition to play. Rajat had reportedly picked up the injury before he joined the RCB camp and would need to obtain a clearance from the National Cricket Academy before he could join the team.