Jitesh Sharma's difficult IPL 2026 season continued as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper-batter once again failed to deliver, drawing sharp criticism from former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu over his prolonged poor form and technical struggles.
Drastic Decline After Impressive 2025
After emerging as one of RCB's most promising performers in IPL 2025, Jitesh has endured a dramatic decline this season. Across his first seven innings of IPL 2026, he managed only 63 runs and has faced heavy criticism for both his low strike rate and inability to finish games. The franchise had retained him as their first-choice wicketkeeper-batter following his impressive 2025 campaign, where he scored 261 runs at a strike rate of 176.35. However, his numbers this season have dipped sharply, with his average falling to around 10.40 after the opening phase of the tournament.
Contrasting Performances Against Lucknow
Jitesh's reputation against the Lucknow Super Giants was largely built on his sensational knock during IPL 2025. On May 27, 2025, he smashed an unbeaten 85 off just 33 deliveries to help RCB chase down a daunting 228-run target. The innings broke MS Dhoni's record for the highest score by a No. 6 or lower batter in a successful IPL chase and played a major role in RCB finishing second on the points table.
But this season, at the same venue and against the same opposition, the script changed completely. Jitesh managed just 1 run off 3 balls in a high-pressure chase of 213, with RCB eventually suffering a nine-run defeat via the DLS method. His dismissal sparked criticism from fans and experts alike, with many questioning his game awareness in crunch situations.
Rayudu Highlights Technical Flaws
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo's Timeout show, Rayudu expressed concern over Jitesh's technical issues, particularly against short-pitched pace bowling. “I think he had a great opportunity to come back sharp after the small break that they had, but he just seems to be getting late on short balls. That's an area he could have worked on in this gap, and I don't think he did. The same thing is happening again and again, and it's not a good sign because IPL matches come really fast. If you have a weakness that is as profound as what we are seeing with Jitesh, it becomes very hard to compensate for it or improve during the tournament because there are not many practice sessions and not much time now,” Rayudu said.
Struggles Against Pace
Jitesh has particularly struggled against pace this season. In eight innings, he has been dismissed seven times by fast bowlers while scoring only 28 runs against pace at an average of just four. Adding to the backlash, fans also resurfaced an old comment made by Jitesh during an appearance on AB de Villiers' YouTube channel last year, where he had jokingly said: “You won't believe me, but I always pray to God for my top order to collapse so I can bat and score.”
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