Jitesh Sharma, the stand-in captain for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, played a brilliant knock to guide his team to a record-breaking win. He later said that a message from his mentor Dinesh Karthik helped him stay focused. RCB chased down a huge target of 228 runs against Lucknow Super Giants in their final group-stage match of IPL 2025.
After Kohli’s Wicket, Jitesh Took Charge
At first, RCB looked in trouble. They had lost Virat Kohli in the 12th over and were 123/4. Then, Jitesh walked in to join Mayank Agarwal at the crease. Together, they began to plan the chase.
Jitesh Scored His Best IPL Knock
Soon after, Jitesh started attacking the bowlers. He remained unbeaten on 85 runs from just 33 balls. His strike rate was an impressive 257.58—his highest in the league. Alongside Mayank, he added 107 runs for the fifth wicket. Even though he suffered cramps, Jitesh stayed at the crease and saw the match through.
“I will not be able to express my thoughts! I can’t believe I played that knock. When Virat bhai was out, I was just thinking of taking it deep. As my mentor and guru Dinesh [Karthik] anna says, just take it deep,” Jitesh said after the match.
Jitesh Got Two Lifelines in One Over
Interestingly, Jitesh had some luck. In the 17th over, he got two chances to survive. First, he hit the ball to Ayush Badoni, who caught it. However, the bowler Digvesh had overstepped, so it became a no-ball. On the next delivery, Jitesh smashed a six and completed his maiden IPL fifty.
Then, Digvesh ran him out at the non-striker’s end. The bails lit up before Jitesh’s bat crossed the crease. But luckily for him, LSG captain Rishabh Pant decided to withdraw the appeal.
Despite Cramps, Jitesh Stayed Focused
After the game, Jitesh explained how tough it was to continue while in pain.
“I was getting cramps because all the load was on me! I have Virat bhai, Krunal bhai and Bhuvi bhai with me. I feel excited that I’m playing with them. We want to enjoy the moment. But we’ll try to recover well. We’ll look to carry the momentum into the next match,” he added.
RCB Make History with Perfect Away Record
Thanks to this win, RCB finished the group stage with a perfect record in away games. They won all seven matches on the road. As a result, they became the first team in IPL history to achieve this feat. This also helped them secure a top-two finish for the first time since 2016.
Now, RCB will face Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on Thursday. Meanwhile, Jitesh shared a positive update on pacer Josh Hazlewood.
“Credit goes to Rajat. I was responsible for maintaining his record. Hazlewood will perhaps play in the knockout. We have a strong belief system. We have match winners. Look at our playing XI, and we have match winners,” he said.
