Not Virat Kohli, but this 11 crore player was ready to lead RCB against LSG before the IPL suspension.

This might take you by surprise, but it wasn’t Virat Kohli but Jitesh Sharma who was gearing up to captain Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) before the sudden suspension of IPL 2025. The wicketkeeper-batter, who was bought for a hefty Rs 11 crore at the auction, revealed in a video posted by RCB that he was all set to lead the side in the absence of regular skipper Rajat Patidar.

Patidar unavailable; Jitesh was supposed to captain RCB

Patidar suffered a finger injury during the clash against Chennai Super Kings while fielding at extra cover. The incident occurred in the 11th over when a shot from Ravindra Jadeja struck his finger. Though he initially stayed on, Patidar eventually had to walk off, leaving Kohli to temporarily take charge. However, with Patidar ruled out of the next fixture and Kohli not expected to continue as captain, the mantle was surprisingly handed to Jitesh Sharma.

“They were giving me an opportunity to captain RCB and it’s a very big thing for me and my family,” Jitesh told in a video shared by RCB.