Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has replicated their stellar form from last IPL season, bringing a balanced squad into the 2026 IPL. They have been giving outstanding performances in all three departments of the game, except for some weak links, such as Jitesh Sharma. Jitesh Sharma has struggled in IPL 2026, being out of form and scoring only 64 runs in eight innings. Notably, Jitesh is responsible for scoring crucial runs in the middle and final overs. However, his poor performance is increasing the pressure on the top order. Also, it doesnât help RCB in a collapse situation or high run chases.
A similar situation arrived as RCB locked horns with LSG in Ekana Stadium on May 7th in a rain-stricken match when RCB had to chase 213 in 19 overs. Early blows came as Bethel and Virat Kohli departed in the first two overs, resulting in the score being 9/2. Although Devdutt Padikkaland Rajat Patidarâs partnership once again gave them a high ground of stability, once they fell, Jitesh Sharmaâs just 1 in 3 balls gave advantage to LSG bowlers.
Twitter fans were again quick to react to the fact that Jitesh has become a liability for the team with such treacherous performances.
Collapse lover Jitesh Sharma in IPL 2026: - 0(1) - 5(8) - 10(9) - 23(9) - 14(20) - 10(6) - 1(3) - 1(3) Total- 64(59), SR- 108 pic.twitter.com/efcmQFs95S
â TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) May 7, 2026
An X user suggested RCB open with Jordan Cox and bring in Venkatesh Iyer instead of Jitesh in team.
Jitesh Sharma has been a complete liability on RCB this season who is travelling with them as a passenger. RCB need to bring Jordan Cox at top, he will give wicket keeping & then add Venkatesh Iyer in middle order & when Phil Salt comeback, he will do the gloves job!
â Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) May 7, 2026
Some fans supported Jitesh Sharma, saying the loss was more on Tim David, not him.
Not saying this because Jitesh didnât score much. With 9 overs to go after a blistering partnership with 12 an over required , it should have been Tim David and not Jitesh Sharma.
â Prasanna (@prasannalara) May 7, 2026
Some RCB fans couldnât stop bringing banters against CSK:
After this tweet, Jitesh Sharma Performance : Matches - 8 Runs - 63 Avg - 9.0 Strike Rate - 108 For Dhoni - Ek Tha Jo wicket ke peeche se match palat deta tha For Jitesh Sharma - Ek hai jo wicket ke aage or peeche, dono jgh se gaand mrva leta hđđ https://t.co/2btN5pqxJU
â A (@wXtreme18) May 7, 2026
Other team fans also posted how wrong it is to compare Jitesh Sharma with Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh this season Came in to bat at 52/4 Scored 53*(34) and won the game vs RR Came in to bat at 31/4 Scored 83*(51) and won the game vs LSG I repeat getting Compared to Rinku Singh is Jitesh Sharma's biggest achievement!! https://t.co/BORYyfxbyZ pic.twitter.com/P7XuVi7ZZI
â adi. (@Hurricanrana_27) May 7, 2026
RCB has lost the match against LSG by 9 runs, and LSG has broken their 6-match winning streak.
RCB Management backs Jitesh Sharma instead of consistent failures
Ahead of the LSG vs RCB match, Assistant coach of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Malolan Rangarajan, discussed the current scenario in the league and the poor form of Jitesh Sharma. Rangarajan said that he clearly thinks that Jitesh Sharma can still have an impact for RCB this season as he is a very sorted individual.
âJitesh is a very sorted individual. He knows it's not by chance that he's played for the country and been part of IPL squads for so long. He played an integral part for us last year as well," he said.
"The messaging to Jitesh is that he's very aware of what he can do to help the team in any situation he goes in. That's all he's been focusing on, and that's what we've been trying to provide for him in training sessions, understanding the situations he's likely to go in and how he can impact the game for us,â the coach concluded.
Looking at the current IPL points table, the Top four can be anyoneâs game, and RCB would not want to lose the Top 2 spot with such almost win-casual losses.
