During the RCB vs SRH match in Lucknow, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Jitesh Sharma walked out at the toss. The two teams faced off on Friday, May 23, 2025, in the 65th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Originally scheduled to be held at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the match was shifted to Lucknow due to unfavorable weather conditions in Bengaluru. In an interesting turn, wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma captained RCB for this game. After winning the toss, Sharma chose to bowl first.
Currently, RCB sits second on the points table with 17 points and can move to the top spot with a win over SRH. They have already secured a place in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins and his Sunrisers Hyderabad team have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Why is Jitesh Sharma captaining RCB instead of Rajat Patidar?
At the toss, stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma explained that Rajat Patidar is not fully fit and will participate as an Impact Player in the match.
“This is my first time captaining RCB. I previously led PBKS against SRH last year. We aim to finish the league at the top of the table and make it to the playoffs. Rajat Patidar will be the impact player. Mayank Agarwal is coming in for Devdutt Padikkal,” Sharma said during the toss.
Patidar had injured his right finger during RCB’s match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3. He was advised to wear a splint during practice to protect the injured finger.
Interestingly, RCB’s last match before the IPL suspension was on May 3. The league was suspended for a week after May 9, and RCB’s following game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 17 was completely washed out due to rain. This gave Patidar ample time to recover from his finger injury.
Additionally, Mayank Agarwal has replaced Devdutt Padikkal, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season. RCB have one final league match remaining after their clash against SRH—they will face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 27.