New Delhi: Jitesh Sharma turned out to be the hero for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as his fiery cameo shifted the momentum in his team’s favour, and helped them post a challenging total of 190 runs on the board in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday. Jitesh’s 10-ball 24 helped RCB break free after a sluggish knock from Virat Kohli at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Asked to bat first in the high-pressure final, RCB got off to a flyer courtesy of Phil Salt, who scored 16 off 9 balls before getting dismissed by Kyle Jamieson in the 2nd over. Kohli got off to a slow start and failed to up the ante in the Powerplay. He played grounded shots and avoided taking any risks, depriving his team of important runs with field restrictions.
Kohli took his time to settle down, and just when it looked like he might break the shackles, he was dismissed after scoring 43 off 35 balls. Kohli’s laborious knock of 35-ball 43 was laced with just three fours as he dropped a batting disasterclass in the all-important final. Kohli added 38 runs for the second wicket with Mayank Agarwal, who too failed to make an impact in the Powerplay with his 24 off 18 balls, before sharing a 40-run stand with RCB skipper Rajat Patidar (26) for the third wicket.
Kohli was dismissed on 43 by Azmatullah Omarzai, who got him caught and bowled in the 15th over. It was after his departure that Jitesh turned up the heat on the PBKS bowlers with his fiery knock. Jitesh hit two fours off Arshdeep Singh in the 16th over before smashing three sixes against Kyle Jamieson in the 17th over to provide much-needed impetus to RCB’s innings.
Unorthodox? ✅
Down the ground? ✅Jitesh Sharma is turning it on in the #Final! 💪
Updates ▶ https://t.co/U5zvVhcvdo#TATAIPL | #RCBvPBKS | #Final | #TheLastMile | @jiteshsharma_ pic.twitter.com/9JbC7ktpGX
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) June 3, 2025
Jitesh’s finished with a 10-ball 24 laced with 3 sixes and two fours to set the stage for a 200-plus total for RCB. However, they could reach only 190 runs in 20 overs after losing three wickets in the final over. While Liam Livingstone scored a 15-ball 25, Romario Shepherd’s 9-ball 17 cameo took RCB closer to the 200-run mark.
Can Punjab Kings chase down 191?
Punjab Kings need to chase down the target of 191 runs to win their first-ever IPL title. Their batting unit has fired all cylinders so far this season, and they will need another team effort to go the distance. While 190 is not a huge ask on a batting-friendly track in Ahmedabad, it won’t be an easy task for the Punjab Kings with the pressure of the final.
Jitesh Sharma played a quickfire cameo of 10-ball 24 to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) post a challenging total of 190 runs on the board after Virat Kohli’s sluggish knock in the IPL 2025 final. IPL Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
