Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 16 : Ahead of his side's home game against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Director of Cricket Mo Bobat gave fitness updates on skipper Rajat Patidar and pacer Josh Hazlewood.
RCB, currently placed in the second spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 with eight wins and three losses with 16 points, will be taking on KKR at Bengaluru on Saturday. IPL will resume on Saturday after it was suspended for a week due to India-Pakistan tensions.
KKR are at the sixth spot with five wins, six losses, and a no result and have 11 points.
Speaking of Patidar, who sustained a finger injury during their previous clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at home, Bobat said that he has been "building up ever so slowly".
"For him personally, probably the disruption gave him a few more days just to get through some of that early healing, and for the swelling to go down, and for him to get used to picking up a bat again. He has practiced the last few days, and he is going well," he added.
During the remaining season, Patidar will be aiming to overcome a lean run of form since the last three to four games. In 11 games and 10 innings, he has scored 239 runs at an average of 23.90, with a strike rate of 140.58. He has scored two half-centuries, with the best score of 64.
He also said that Australian pacer Hazlewood is recovering from the shoulder niggle which kept him out of the CSK clash.
"He has recovering from his shoulder niggle (in Australia) that he had. Our medical team and their medical teams have been liaising what that detail looks like...," he added.
Hazlewood has been RCB's leading bowler this season and is on the third spot in the wicket-taking charts, with 18 wickets in 10 games at an average of 17.27 and best figures of 4/33.