“His technique against short balls has been exposed”

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Mohammad Kaif has shed light on Rajat Patidar’s struggles with the bat despite a six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2026 in Raipur on Wednesday, May 13. The cricketer-turned-analyst pointed out that the right-hander has been struggling against short deliveries.

The statement came after Patidar closed his eyes while facing a 141.4 kmph delivery against Kartik Tyagi in the 14th over of RCB’s chase. As a result, the 32-year-old suffered a nasty blow near his left ear. Later, the right-hander departed for 11 runs. In his last six games, he has managed just 115 runs, including 61 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

While speaking about technical aspects, Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel:

“Rajat Patidar is facing problems with short deliveries. He has to work against bouncers. Other teams would be noting that. There would be a short ball plan. I was surprised he was closing his eyes against short balls. You need to keep your eyes on the ball. When you are surrendering, you can get hit anywhere. His technique against short balls has been exposed.”

The 45-year-old further urged RCB to include two spinners for their remaining games in order to retain their IPL title. He advised the think tank to bring Suyash Sharma in the playing XI:

“I think they need one more spinner to win the IPL. They have to bring back Suyash Sharma. Last year, two spinners won the title. Suyash Sharma in the qualifier and Krunal Pandya in the final.”

Suyash Sharma has managed seven wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of 8.57 in IPL 2026. After returning wicketless against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Mumbai Indians (MI), he was dropped against the Knight Riders.

RCB will next lock horns with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala on Sunday, May 17.

“Made a difference” – Mohammad Kaif points out where KKR lost the match against RCB in the IPL 2026 match

Mohammad Kaif further claimed that KKR losing premier spinner Varun Chakaravarthy due to a niggle was one of the main reasons why KKR failed to defend 192 against RCB in the IPL 2026. He said in the same video:

“Varun Chakaravarthy’s absence made the difference. If he were there, the match would’ve been close. There is no Pathirana, no Harshit Rana; many of their many bowlers are injured. Even Virat Kohli didn’t hit against Narine. If Narine were with Varun, the match would’ve been close. Varun was the man of the match twice when KKR won four matches in a row.”

Notably, Varun had bagged 10 wickets in his last six games for KKR, which helped them win four games in a row. Apart from Sunil Narine (1/31) and Kartik Tyagi (3/32), no other bowlers showed up for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side. Saurabh Dubey, who replaced Varun in the playing XI, leaked 21 runs in his 2.1 overs without taking a wicket.

KKR will play their remaining three games at home. They must win all matches to stay in contention for a place in the playoffs.