Jitesh Sharma Wins IPL 2025 with RCB, Jitesh Sharma, the talented wicketkeeper-batsman, played a pivotal role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) victorious IPL 2025 campaign, earning a recall to the Indian squad.
Known for finishing games with crucial late-order innings, Jitesh repeatedly delivered match-defining performances for RCB. Despite his domestic success, former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik revealed that Jitesh was never particularly eager to represent India earlier in his career. His focus remained on performing freely and confidently in the IPL, especially during his stint with the Punjab Kings.
“He was never desperate to play for India. Dinesh Karthik, He was very free and played confidently for the Punjab Kings, which eventually got him into the Indian team. Once he realised he was on the fringes, that desperation started affecting his performances,” Dinesh Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Jitesh last appeared for India in January 2024 against Afghanistan and has accumulated 100 runs across seven T20Is so far.
“Needed to unlock it”: Dinesh Karthik on partnering with Jitesh Sharma at RCB
Ahead of IPL 2025, Punjab Kings (PBKS) released Jitesh Sharma, and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) snapped him up in the mega auction. Tasked with the role of finisher, Jitesh impressed by scoring 261 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 176.35.
His standout performance came against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he smashed an unbeaten 85*, steering RCB to chase 228 in just 18.4 overs and securing a top-two finish in the points table.
Dinesh Karthik spoke about his approach with Jitesh:
“What he wanted to work on was finishing games and helping the team exceed expectations. He had been playing a lot of cameos but never quite knew how to play that big inning to push the team forward or dominate the first innings. Dinesh Karthik, I know what it takes to do that, and with his skills, the potential was huge—I just needed to unlock it.”
Following his IPL exploits, Jitesh earned a spot in India’s squad for the 2025 Asia Cup. However, he will face stiff competition for a place in the playing XI, particularly from Sanju Samson.
