Jitesh Sharma’s tough IPL 2026 season continues with the RCB wicketkeeper-batsman once again failing to perform well, drawing criticism from former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu for his prolonged poor form and technical woes.
After being one of RCB’s biggest positives in IPL 2025, Jitesh has experienced a steep decline this season. He scored just 63 runs in the first seven innings of IPL 2026 and was heavily criticized for his low strike rate and inability to finish games. After his impressive 2025 season in which he scored 261 runs at a strike rate of 176.35, the team retained him as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman. However, his numbers have dropped dramatically this season, with his average dropping to around 10.40 after the early stages of games.
Jitesh’s reputation against Lucknow Supergiants is largely built on his sensational knocks during IPL 2025. On May 27, 2025, he scored an unbeaten 85 runs off just 33 deliveries to help Royal Challengers Bangalore chase down the daunting target of 228 runs. The innings broke MS Dhoni’s record for the highest score by a batsman of No. 6 or below in a successful chase in the IPL and played a major role in RCB’s second place in the points table.
But this season, in the same venue, facing the same opponent, the script has completely changed. Jitesh scored just 1 run off 3 balls in a high-pressure chase of 213 as RCB eventually suffered a 9-run defeat through the DLS method. His dismissal sparked criticism from fans and pundits, with many questioning his game awareness in key situations.
Rayudu, speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Timeout show, expressed concerns over Jitesh’s technical issues, especially in short-paced bowling.
“I think he has a good chance of counterattacking quickly after small breaks but he seems to be late with the short ball. This is an area he could work on in this gap but I don’t think he does it. The same thing happens again and again and that is not a good sign because IPL games come very fast. If you have a weakness as deep as we saw with Jitesh, it is very difficult to remedy it or improve it during the game because there is not a lot of practice but there is not much time now,” Rayudu said.
Jitesh has particularly struggled with rhythm this season. In eight innings, he was dismissed by fast bowlers seven times and scored just 28 runs at an average of four against his pace. To add insult to injury, fans have also resurrected an old comment Jitesh made during an appearance on AB de Villiers’ YouTube channel last year, where he joked:
“You won’t believe me, but I always pray to God that my top order will break down so I can bat and score runs.”