Rajat Patidar has been declared fit to play after recovering from a niggle to his left knee. He has been cleared after undergoing extensive medical tests at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. Patidar will join the Madhya Pradesh team at Kolkata on Friday and will be available from Sunday, November 30, onwards during the third round of the SMAT matches.
Details of Injury and Recovery
The MP skipper had been out of action for almost four weeks. His injury worries began on October 15 during Madhya Pradesh’s opening Ranji Trophy encounter against Punjab. While he did manage to play in the first unofficial Test for India A against South Africa A on October 30, persistent discomfort in his knee led to him being ruled out of the next two Ranji matches.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Rajat Patidar completed a 10-day rehabilitation program and got the official Return-To-Play clearance from the CoE medical panel. He has also resumed full-fledged batting practice.
Strong Form Before the Injury
Before his sidelining, Rajat Patidar was in sublime touch. He started off the Ranji season with an imposing double century against Punjab. His dominance with the red ball also flowed into the Duleep Trophy, where, as the Central Zone captain, he struck two centuries and two half-centuries during their championship-winning campaign.
Next White-Ball Appearance: SMAT 2025-26
The upcoming SMAT 2025-26 games will be Patidar’s first white-ball games since the end of IPL 2025, during which he famously led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their title. Patidar was subsequently elevated to all-format captaincy for Madhya Pradesh, replacing Shubham Sharma.
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Significant Impact in Previous SMAT Season
In the last edition of SMAT, MP were runners-up; Rajat Patidar played a key role in that. He was the second highest run-getter of the tournament, having scored 428 runs in nine innings at an incredible strike rate of 186.08. His 27 sixes were the most this season and underlined his capability as an explosive batter.
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