Ambati Rayudu weighed in on Jitesh Sharma's poor form for Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season. In IPL 2026, the RCB wicketkeeper-batter has managed only 64 runs in 10 matches at an average of 8.00 and a strike rate of 108.47. He has been facing plenty of criticism for his strike rate, and he once again failed to perform against Lucknow Super Giants on Thursday.
This season, Jitesh's form is in stark contrast to his performances last year. In IPL 2025, he scored 261 runs in 15 matches at an average of 37.29 and a strike rate of 176.35.
Chasing 210 runs, RCB needed Jitesh to perform after Devdutt Padikkal's dismissal in the 11th over. But Jitesh lost his wicket in the same over to Prince Yadav, departing for one off three balls.
‘The same thing is happening again and again’
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Rayudu said, “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 to improve during the tournament because there are not many practice sessions and not much time now.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Rayudu said, “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 to improve during the tournament because there are not many practice sessions and not much time now.”
{{/usCountry}}LSG won by nine runs (DLS method), ending their six-match losing run. After rain breaks, LSG posted 209 in 19 overs, courtesy of Mitchell Marsh's ton. Chasing 210 runs, RCB lost both Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli early. They did try to stage a fight back through Padikkal and Rajat Patidar, who built a 95-run stand for the third wicket. Bu Prince, who removed Kohli, broke the stand, dismissing Jitesh. From 104/2, RCB crumbled to 112/5, but it didn't just end there.
Tim David's 17-ball 40 gave some hope, and then Romario Shepherd and Krunal Pandya smacked some boundaries. RCB needed 20 off the final over, and Rishabh Pant decided to go with Digvesh Rathi. Rathi justified his captain's decision, restricting RCB to 203/6.
RCB are third in the standings after 10 matches, with six wins and four defeats. Meanwhile, LSG are at the bottom with three victories and seven defeats.