Jitesh Sharma. (Source – Photo by SURJEET YADAV/AFP via Getty Images)
The IPL 2025 mega auction was conducted at Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25, respectively. The 10 franchises spent INR 383.4 crore on 120 Indian players at the mega auction. Arshdeep Singh became the first Indian cricketer to surpass former India cricketer, Yuvraj Singh‘s nine-year-old auction record of 16 crore as Punjab Kings signed him for a whopping INR 18 crore.
Notably, Rishabh Pant became the highest-ever paid cricketer in the IPL as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) assumed his services for a mind-boggling INR 27 crore. He is followed by Shreyas Iyer, who was signed by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 26.75 crore. But Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who entered the purse focussed on the Indian core and wanted the same to get stronger ahead of IPL 2025.
As per Hindustan Times (HT), the talented cricketer who reaped rewards from the Bengaluru-based franchise’s new mindset for Jitesh Sharma. Jitesh was part of PBKS in IPL 2024 and entered the auction with a base price of 2 crore in the auction. His salary in IPL 2024 was 20 lakh, but RCB roped him in by splurging 11 crore. Consequently, this turned out to be a mind-boggling salary hike of 5,500%, which in itself is another IPL record.
RCB looking for a finisher in Jitesh Sharma
The wicketkeeper-batter made his debut in IPL 2022 and has player for PBKS in 2022 and 2023. His strike rate in both seasons were 163 and 156, respectively. Moreover, he smashed 21 sixes in the 2023 season, which paved the way for him to feature in the Indian T20I squad. After Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of injury in IPL 2024, he was named as the vice-captain of the side.
Also Read: How can Rishabh Pant secure over INR 27 Crore in IPL 2025?
Though he had a forgettable IPL 2024 with the bat, his ability as a finisher was enough for RCB to raise their paddle. Jitesh scored just 187 runs at a strike rate of 131 in the last season. RCB might be looking for a fitting replacement for their revered finisher, Dinesh Karthik, who has donned the mentor hat and was also the wicketkeeper-batter.