IPL 2025: Why is Jitesh Sharma captaining RCB instead of Rajat Patidar against SRH in match No. 65?

RCB’s Jitesh Sharma walked out at the toss during RCB vs SRH game in Lucknow.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are wrestling with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday, May 23 in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The RCB vs SRH encounter, 65th match of IPL 2025, is being played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

The match was supposed to take place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, but due to unfavourable weather conditions in Bengaluru, the game was moved to Lucknow. Interestingly, wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma is leading RCB in the clash against SRH. Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first in the match.

Notably, RCB currently occupy the second spot in the points table with 17 points. They can jump to the top spot by defeating SRH in the clash. They have qualified for the playoffs. On the other hand, Pat Cummins & Co. are out of the playoffs race already.

Why is Jitesh Sharma captaining RCB instead of Rajat Patidar

During the toss, stand-in skipper Sharma revealed that Patidar is not fully fit and will play as an Impact Player in the match.

“It’s my first time captaining RCB. I captained PBKS against SRH last year. We are looking forward to finish the league on top of the table and enter the playoffs. Rajat Patidar is the impact player. Mayank [Agarwal] comes in for [Devdutt] Padikkal,” Sharma said during the toss.

Notably, Patidar sustained an injury in his right finger during RCB’s clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3. He was also advised to use a splint during practice to protect his finger later.

Interestingly, RCB played their last match of the tournament on May 3. IPL 2025 was suspended for a week after May 9, and RCB’s next match of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 17 was completely washed out due to rain. Hence, Patidar has got a good break to recover from his finger injury.

Moreover, Mayank Agarwal has replaced Devdutt Padikkal, who has been ruled out of remainder of the season, in the RCB’s playing XI. RCB have one more game left after the clash against SRH. They will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their last league match on May 27.

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