The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stand-in-captain Jitesh Sharma guided his team to their highest successful run chase ever in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In the 70th match of IPL 2025 against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), the Bengaluru-based franchise was required to chase a 228-run target to secure a top-two finish to participate in the Qualifier 1 round.
At one stage, the LSG skipper Rishabh Pant threatened RCB’s chances of winning the game by scoring a blistering 118 runs from 61 balls (including 11 fours and 8 sixes) at a strike rate of 193.44. He not only ripped apart the bowlers of the Royal Challengers but also steered his team to post a 227 total.
Once again it seemed RCB might surrender to a failure of 200+ run chases after Virat Kohli’s dismissal.
But Jitesh Sharma turned the fortunes around by playing a captain’s knock and led his team from the front by scoring a quickfire 85 runs at a 250+ strike rate.
Jitesh Sharma Overshadows Rishabh Pant’s Second IPL Century
Following Virat Kohli’s dismissal at 123/4 in 11.2 overs, RCB’s skipper Jitesh Sharma’s arrival at the crease and kept his team’s hopes alive of chasing a gigantic target.
With 105 runs required and 6 wickets in hand, Jitesh maintained his composure under pressure. The 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman played a devastating innings of 85 runs from 33 balls (including 8 fours and 6 sixes) at a strike rate of 257.58.
Also, the RCB captain maintained a 107-run unbeaten partnership with Mayank Agarwal, which completely snatched away the game from the LSG bowlers.
Thanks to Mayank’s supportive role, who stood at the other end by preserving his wicket as well as scoring an instant 41-run knock out of just 23 balls (including 5 fours) at a strike rate of 178.26.
Complementing Kohli’s half-century, the duo right-handers propelled RCB to a 6-wicket victory with 8 balls to spare.
Finally, Jitesh’s game-changing knock completely masked Pant’s best-ever knock in this season.
Jitesh’s First IPL Century: A Top-Two Finish For RCB in IPL 2025
Jitesh Sharma played a heroic knock for RCB in one of their toughest run chases in IPL. The captain guided his team from the front by scoring his maiden IPL century to ensure Bengaluru finishes in the top two spots after nine years since 2016.
With this massive victory, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru concluded their league stages at second place in the points table with 19 points and a +0.255 net-run rate.
Ultimately, Bengaluru is set to face off against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 29 in the Qualifier 1 round of IPL 2025 in Mullanpur .
