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Royal Challengers Bangalore qualified for the playoffs of the IPL 2022 season on the back of Mumbai's comprehensive victory against Delhi Capitals on Saturday evening. Faf du Plessis-led side will now face Lucknow Super Giants in the first Eliminator on Wednesday (May 25) at Eden Garden in Kolkata.
Ahead of a knock-out stage, RCB's premium fast bowler and purple cap holder of the previous season, Harshal Patel has reportedly assured that he will be fit for the high-stake game. While speaking to the RCB website, Patel stated that he has got a couple of stitches on his right-hand webbing, and it should come out in three to four days. "I am sure I will be ready to participate in the Eliminator," he said.
Notably, Patel suffered an injury during Bangalore's last league stage game when he was trying to catch the ball on the extra short cover; he spilt his webbing in his right hand. Patel immediately left the field and checked my RCB physio. He got his webbing stitched and didn't return to the field in that game. However, Bangalore registered an eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans after Virat Kohli (73 off 54), and Faf du Plessis (44 off 38) provided a flying start to Bangalore; Glenn Maxwell played a blistering 40 runs knock in 18 deliveries to ensure an easy win.
Speaking of Harshal Patel, the 31-year-old medium pace bowler has become a vital cog in the squad and ended up as the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2021 season. He picked 32-wickets in 15 games in the last season, while he has 18 wickets under his belt in 13 games this season. Patel is widely regarded as one of the best bowlers in death over and has been economical (7.68) throughout the season. Harshal is just four wickets away from reaching 100 wicket milestones in the Indian Premier League (IPL).