Punjab's Jitesh first from Vidarbha to lead IPL team

Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Saturday announced Jitesh Sharma as the captain for their final game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), set to take place at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.

Jitesh will take charge from Sam Curran, who has returned to England for international duty. Curran was named in England’s five-match T20 series squad against Pakistan and will join the team for the first T2OI, scheduled on May 22 at Leeds.

So far many players from Vidarbha have played in IPL but this is the first time that any player from the region will lead the IPL team. Jitesh has made his IPL debut in 2022 and so far has played 39 matches. In the current season he has scored 155 runs in 13 matches with the strike rate of 122.05. Last season Last season was good for Vidarbha player who scored 309 runs in 14 matches with the strike rate of 156.06.

Kings are already eliminated from the race to the Playoffs and are currently positioned at the ninth position of the points table. PBKS have only won five matches out of 13 games and will look to end their campaign on a big note.