India, May 17 -- RCB captain Rajat Patidar has been ruled out of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Sunday, with Jitesh Sharma stepping in to lead the side. The game arrives at a critical point in the league stage, with RCB pushing to strengthen their playoff position and PBKS trying to stay alive after a five-match losing run. Patidar had also led RCB to a win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous outing, a result that lifted them to the top of the table.

Jitesh Sharma said, "Rajat is doing wonderful now, hopefully we will see him in Hyderabad". His absence will draw extra attention because he had suffered a blow to the back of the helmet from a Kartik Tyagi bouncer in the KKR game,...