Hyderabad: Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma will lead the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their final game of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.
Jitesh will become the 16th captain of the franchise when he steps out for the toss. He will captain the side in the absence of seasoned cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran for their last match of IPL 2024. Dhawan has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury, while Curran has returned to England for the T20I Series against Pakistan ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Punjab Kings announced his appointment as skipper for the final game through a social media post. "Skipper Ji-𝙩𝙚𝙯𝙯 reporting! #SherSquad, presenting to you our captain for the final game against SRH," Punjab Kings wrote on their X handle, formerly known as Twitter.
Jitesh Sharma was elated that he was happy for the opportunity and will try to help the side finish the season on a good note. "I am very happy for the opportunity that PBKS has given me to lead in the last game. Hopefully we will finish on a good note and I will try to win record on a good note," Jitesh said in a video posted by PBKS on their X handle after the announcement.
The 30-year-old was named vice-captain before the commencement of the season, but due to a lack of form, Curran captained PBKS in nine games. Currently, the Kings are in ninth place on the points table with five wins and 10 points from 13 games, and they are no longer in contention for the playoffs.
Despite the miserable form, Punjab Kings management didn't drop the wicket-keeper batter and played him all the 13 matches so far. They will be expecting him to perform and showcase his prowess with the bat in the final game. Jitesh has scored only 155 runs in 13 matches, averaging 14.09 with a strike rate of 122.05. His highest score this season is just 29, reflecting a significant dip in form.
Jitesh, who plays for Vidarbha in the domestic circuit, was one of the strong contenders for the forthcoming T20 World Cup as a wicket-keeper batter and was pretty much ahead of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan in the race for the 2024 T20 World Cup before the start of the IPL. Jitesh bats down the order, to be specific at number six or seven number and can fire at a higher strike rate. Jitesh made his international debut against Nepal on October 3, 2023, during the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which India eventually won. In seven innings across nine T20I matches for India, he has amassed 100 runs at an impressive strike rate of 147.1.
Jitesh made his IPL debut in 2022 for Punjab Kings and has amassed 698 runs in 39 matches at a strike rate of 149.15.
