Vidarbha and Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma will play for Baroda in the upcoming season.
The 31-year-old played second fiddle to captain and first-choice wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar during the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, and he did not appear in any games. He continued to play for Karun Nair’s Vidarbha white-ball teams.
It has been reported that the relocation to Baroda has been planned for some time. The close bond between Jitesh and Baroda captain Krunal Pandya is believed to be the cause. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate he was with. helped make the transfer possible after their initial IPL title win earlier this year.
The change might present Jitesh with a fresh chance to establish himself as a first-class cricket regular. Jitesh has only appeared in 18 first-class games in the last ten seasons since making his debut in 2015–16. He has four half-centuries and a modest average of 24.48. It has been over a year since his last first-class match.
Jitesh has proved himself in the shortest formats of cricket in recent years. While having little playing experience in red-ball cricket. In October of 2023, Jitesh made his India T20I debut in the Asian Games after making a breakthrough for Punjab Kings. He nine T20I matches are remarkable.
Jitesh Sharma
As RCB’s finisher at the IPL 2025 earlier this year. Jitesh was instrumental in helping them place in the top two by scoring their first half-century an unbeaten 85 against the Lucknow Super Giants. He served as Rajat Patidar’s deputy captain and took over as captain in the latter stages of the tournament after Patidar was hurt.
The only RTM (right to match) for RCB in the mega auction. Jitesh’s IPL teammate Swapnil Singh, is expected to relocate to Tripura. Swapnil played domestic cricket for Uttarakhand in 2024–25, taking 18 wickets in five games during the Ranji Trophy. However he did not play a single game for RCB. He had low white-ball stats.
In the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2025, Swapnil, a regular in Chennai’s club cricket scene, most recently played for the Chepauk Super Gillies. Where he took three wickets in eight games and batted for 85 runs.
