After recovering from a left knee ailment, Rajat Patidar has been given the all-clear to resume playing by the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. On Friday, he will return to the Madhya Pradesh team in Kolkata, and starting on Sunday, November 30, he will be ready for selection in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) third round of games.
He started having chronic pain in his left knee after playing for India A versus South Africa A in the first unofficial Test match on October 30. The problem initially arose on October 15 during MP’s first Ranji Trophy encounter against Punjab, ultimately preventing him from competing in the following two rounds.
Madhya Pradesh’s skipper, Rajat Patidar , has missed the last four weeks of competitive cricket.
The Centre of Excellence medical team gave Patidar the Return to Play (RTP) clearance after he finished a 10-day rehabilitation program, according to ESPNcricinfo. He has been gradually increasing his workload since he started hitting again. Rajat Patidar had great touch before to the accident. He had shown outstanding form earlier in the season, scoring two hundreds and two half-centuries while leading Central Zone to the Duleep Trophy title. He had also started the Ranji season with a spectacular double century against Punjab.
PRajat Patidar atidar’s first white-ball performance since the conclusion of IPL 2025, when he famously led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their first IPL championship, will take place during the forthcoming SMAT 2025–26 matches. He succeeded Shubham Sharma as Madhya Pradesh’s all-format captain thanks to his performances and tournament leadership.
After placing second last year, MP had high expectations going into this SMAT season. As the second-highest run scorer with 428 runs in nine innings at a remarkable strike rate of 186.08, Patidar was instrumental in that campaign. With 27 sixes, he had the most in the competition.
This season, Madhya Pradesh has had a difficult start, losing their first game against Hyderabad thanks to Rahul Buddhi’s game-winning half-century. When they play Bihar at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 28, they will try to recover.
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