Rajat Patidar Cleared to Return, Set to Rejoin MP Squad for SMAT From November 30

Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar has recovered from a left-knee niggle and has been cleared to resume competitive cricket by the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He will link up with the MP squad in Kolkata on Friday and will be available for selection from the third round of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) matches on November 30.

Patidar has been out of action for the past four weeks. After playing the first unofficial Test for India A against South Africa A on October 30, he missed two rounds of the Ranji Trophy due to persistent knee pain—an issue that first surfaced during MP’s opening-round fixture against Punjab on October 15.

He recently completed a 10-day rehabilitation programme at the CoE and received formal clearance through the Return to Play (RTP) certificate issued by the medical team. He has already resumed batting in preparation for his comeback.

Before the injury setback, Patidar was in dominant form. He began the Ranji Trophy with a double century against Punjab and went on to score two centuries and two fifties during a strong campaign, which also included leading Central Zone to the Duleep Trophy title.

The upcoming SMAT matches will mark his first white-ball appearance since guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title earlier this year. Since then, he has been handed MP’s all-format captaincy, succeeding Shubham Sharma.

MP finished runners-up in last year’s SMAT, with Patidar playing a pivotal role. He was the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, amassing 428 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 186.08, while also hitting a season-best tally of 27 sixes.

His return is expected to significantly bolster MP’s batting strength as they continue their push for the SMAT title.