Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar has recovered from a left-knee injury and is now set to rejoin his team for the 2025–26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). The BCCI’s Centre of Excellence has given him the green light to play, and he will join his team in Kolkata on Friday. He will feature in the third round of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which begins on Sunday, November 30.
Patidar’s knee problem first arose during Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy match against Punjab on October 15. The right-handed batter also missed some matches for India A against South Africa A on October 30.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Patidar completed a 10-day rehabilitation programme and received a ‘return to play’ certificate, allowing him to resume batting. Before the injury, Patidar was in brilliant form, scoring a double century against Punjab and registering two centuries and two half-centuries, which helped Central Zone win the Duleep Trophy.
This SMAT season will be Patidar’s first 20-over tournament since leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore to their first IPL title earlier this year. As Madhya Pradesh’s new all-format captain, Patidar will aim to continue his strong contributions. In the last season of SMAT, the MP-based batter scored 428 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 186.08. His tally included 27 sixes—the highest of that season.
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