Jitesh Sharma is leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their Indian Premier League 2025 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday. This change in leadership comes as regular captain Rajat Patidar is recovering from a finger injury sustained before the mid-season break. Jitesh confirmed at the toss that Patidar will feature only as an Impact Player for this match. The stand-in captain said he opted to bowl first in order to utilise the moisture in the surface, a common tactic in night games at Lucknow.
"Jitesh Sharma: It's my first time captaining RCB. I captained PBKS against SRH last year. We are thinking to bowl first, want to take most of the surface from the moisture. We are looking forward to finish the league on top of the table and enter the playoffs. The management has taken care of the players. We have a good atmosphere and culture. We want to win every game and win the cup," Sharma said during the toss.
This is Jitesh’s second outing as captain in the IPL. Last season, he led Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a match against the same opponent — SRH — which they lost by four wickets.
RCB have already sealed a playoff spot for the second straight year and will be looking to win their remaining two league matches. A double win could secure them two chances to qualify for their first IPL final since 2016. SunRisers Hyderabad, the former champions, are already out of the playoff race. Despite the early exit, they will aim to end their campaign with a win and restore some pride.
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Jitesh also confirmed one change in the RCB line-up. Mayank Agarwal replaced Devdutt Padikkal, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury. SRH made three changes to their team. Travis Head returned after recovering from illness, while Abhinav Manohar and Jaydev Unadkat also came into the side.
Playing XIs:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma (captain and wicketkeeper), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Suyash Sharma.
Impact Player Substitutes: Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (captain), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.
Impact Player Substitutes: Mohammad Shami, Harsh Dubey, Sachin Baby, Zeeshan Ansari, Simarjeet Singh.
