Follow UsJitesh Sharma was bought by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 11 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction despite a couple of poor seasons. He has already played a couple of impactful knocks for his new franchise, scoring 33 off 21 against Gujarat Titans (GT) and following that up with an unbeaten 19-ball 40 against Mumbai Indians (MI).
RCB batting coach Dinesh Karthik, who is also mentoring Jitesh at the IPL 2025, feels that the 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter's hunger to keep learning has paid great dividends.
“He is always hungry to learn. He’s like, ‘What can I do?’ He calls me Anna. Those conversations have been very positive, very fun. And he is at that stage where he’s willing to try anything I say," Karthik said in the latest episode of RCB Bold Diaries.
"If it works for him, he keeps it. If it doesn't, he comes and tells me in a very straightforward, honest manner. ‘I'm not able to do this. Tell me something else.’ So it’s very fun like that. If I work with him for a year or two, I feel that I can touch the limits.”
Jitesh, who has played all six matches for RCB this season, says he realised long ago how big the RCB fanbase is. “When I went to play for Syed Mushtaq Ali, people were shouting for RCB. That's when I realised it's not a small thing that I've joined RCB. It's a different feeling. Because 100–150 people were standing in line to get my autograph. I wasn't expecting this," he said.
RCB are currently in third place in the IPL 2025 points table with eight points from six matches. They take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 18 (Friday) in Bengaluru, where they have lost both their matches so far.