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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) faced another worrying moment as injury problems once again followed them, even before the start of the upcoming IPL 2026 season. Madhya Pradesh’s ongoing 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Jharkhand on January 6 in Ahmedabad saw RCB’s two key stars Venkatesh Iyer and Rajat Patidar in action.
RCB injury scare: Venkatesh Iyer retired, injured in Rajat Patidar’s comeback match
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a potential blow ahead of IPL 2026 as their star all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer suffered an injury during Madhya Pradesh’s Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Jharkhand.
RCB received the injury scare on the same day as their captain, Rajat Patidar, made his long-awaited return to competitive cricket on Tuesday.
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Venkatesh Iyer injury update: Early issues raise alarm
The day began with a scare for RCB fans when Madhya Pradesh captain Venkatesh Iyer was forced to retire injured almost immediately after coming to bat at number five. Iyer managed just one run from 5 balls before discomfort forced him off the field, raising fresh concerns over RCB’s continued injury curse ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026.
However, Iyer showed courage in returning to bat later in the innings but he was clearly not at his best. The star all-rounder could face only nine more deliveries, adding 8 runs, before being bowled out by Shubman Singh. His short stay did not augur well for RCB and Madhya Pradesh.
Venky Iyer (C) injured retired for 1 (5) during MP against Jharkhand
RCB injury curse continues 🤕 pic.twitter.com/oaFhDNC5Dh
–RCB Xtra (@Rcb_Xtra) January 6, 2026
No fireworks during Rajat Patidar’s return
On the other hand, Rajat Patidar’s much-awaited return to competitive cricket hasn’t produced any fireworks either. The Madhya Pradesh batter scored 29 runs from 37 balls but could not convert his start. He was perfectly eliminated by Anukul Roy, without managing to make a strong comeback.
RCB in injury crisis mode; Patidar the only relief
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are facing major injury concerns ahead of IPL 2026 as their key players Phil Salt (back injury), Tim David (grade 2 hamstring strain) and Josh Hazlewood (hamstring strain and Achilles tendon problem) are recovering from their injuries.
Their availability for next season is under dark clouds, and now Venkatesh Iyer’s new setback has put RCB in a serious situation. Moreover, Yash Dayal is battling legal issues and is likely to miss the next season as his sexual exploitation and rape cases are pending in the Allahabad High Court and POSCO court in Jaipur.
The only good thing is that Patidar has recovered from an ankle injury and returned to action. However, Patidar’s delayed entry into the Vijay Hazare Trophy was not due to fresh injury.
The RCB captain was advised to rest as part of a slow and cautious workload plan as he had recently recovered from a left ankle problem ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is now gradually preparing for the IPL 2026 season.
No injuries, he was just advised to rest since he had just recovered from a left ankle problem before the SMAT. Slow build-up of workload before IPL.
– Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) January 6, 2026
Lower order to the rescue as MP stumbles at 277
Madhya Pradesh were eventually bowled out for 277 against Jharkhand. The saving act came from the lower middle order. Number six and replacement batter Akshat Raghuwanshi played a crucial knock of 64 runs off 61 balls, while number eight Shivang Kumar chipped in with an aggressive 67 to push the team to a fighting total on the board after the top and middle order failed to score.
Only Shubham Sharma contributed 34 runs from the line-up, apart from Akshat and Shivang. For Jharkhand, Utkarsh Singh was the standout bowler with a stunning spell of 3/30 in 7 overs, while Bal Krishna and Shushant Mishra scalped two wickets each against Madhya Pradesh.
