Jitesh Sharma se junta ao companheiro de equipe do RCB Krunal Pandya em Baroda antes do Troféu Ranji 2025-26

Jitesh Sharma has decided to leave Vidarbha before the domestic 2025-26 season. Having made his debut for the state in 2014, Jitesh wants to start a new chapter in his career by joining Baroda. The move comes after Vidarbha had benched Jitesh for the entire Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season.

Akshay Wadkar, a wicketkeeper like Jitesh and Vidarbha’s Ranji captain, was naturally the preference. The 31-year-old was part of white-ball teams and played under Karun Nair last season. The move suggests that Jitesh wishes to become a regular in red-ball cricket, something that he clearly wasn’t going to achieve at Vidarbha.

Jitesh Sharma joins RCB teammate at Baroda

According to ESPNcricinfo, the transfer to Vidarbha was happening behind the scenes for a while. It was further facilitated by Krunal Pandya, who is Baroda’s captain. Both were part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and went on to lift the trophy on June 3.

Despite making his first-class debut for Vidarbha in 2015, Jitesh has played just 18 matches for them. His last game came in January 2024. His numbers clearly show that he hasn’t been able to justify his position, averaging just 24.48. But the move to Baroda could change the trajectory of his first-class career.

It turns out that Jitesh isn’t the only RCB player to switch states before the 2025-26 domestic season. Swapnil Singh, for whom RCB used an RTM (right to match) card at the IPL 2025 auction, will move from Uttarakhand to Tripura.