RCB’s Jitesh Sharma Turns On Vintage Mode (Source: AFP Photos)
Even though Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won IPL 2026 in a commanding manner, the form of Jitesh Sharma, their vice-captain and one of the most relied-upon finishers, had always been a concern.
However, on Saturday, during Match 11 of the Vidarbha Premier League (VPL) 2026, the 32-year-old seemed to be a different beast altogether.
Jitesh Sharma Finds Good-Old Rhythm After IPL 2026
Jitesh played a few exceptional knocks for RCB in IPL 2025, including an unbeaten 33-ball 85 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). In total, he made 261 runs at a strike rate of 176.35 last year, averaging over 37.
Fast forward to 2026, Jitesh could only make 116 runs at an average of 12.89 in IPL 2026, that too at a strike rate of 122.11. Surely, he had lost his mojo until Saturday’s VPL 2026 heroics.
Also Read: "Whose Idea Was Jitesh Sharma Over Virat Kohli?"RCB Fans Enraged On Captaincy Change
While captaining Neco Master Blaster, Jitesh came to bat at No. 6 against India Warriors at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur. He smashed five sixes in his short 10-ball stay and remained unbeaten on 36.
Thanks to Jitesh’s blitz, Neco Master Blaster made 202/4 at the end of 20 overs after batting first. In reply, Indian Warriors got the job done on the last ball of the game, with three wickets to spare.
When Did Jitesh Sharma Join RCB?
Jitesh Sharma joined RCB ahead of the IPL 2025 auction after bagging a lucrative contract of INR 11 crore from the mega auction. As mentioned earlier, he did his bit last year to help RCB win their first-ever IPL title.
This year, even though RCB won successive IPL titles, his contributions with the bat were very little. Nevertheless, he was excellent with the big gloves behind the stumps, particularly when Krunal Pandya kept on bowling bouncers in frequent intervals.
How Is Jitesh Sharma's VPL Team Performing?
Jitesh Sharma’s Neco Master Blaster have not won a single game in VPL 2026. They are currently placed at the bottom of the six-team competition, having lost all four matches in the competition thus far.
Before Saturday’s knock, Jitesh walked into the middle with the bat in hand twice in the Vidarbha Premier League. He had a six-ball 4 and a 7-ball 10 in his previous two outings.
Jitesh No Longer India's Mix Of Things In T20Is
Not so long ago, Jitesh Sharma was one of the regulars in India’s T20I set-up. However, due to his inconsistency with the bat, coupled with the emergence of other breakout stars, he had to lose his place.
So far, Jitesh, now 32, has played 16 T20Is for India and only made 162 runs at a strike rate of 151.40 , with the last coming against South Africa in December last year.
Also Read: Jitesh Sharma Justifies Own T20 World Cup Snub With Heartbreaking Revelation
.jpg?type=mq "Shaheen Afridi Not Included...")
