RCB Star Jitesh Sharma Plays 'Gully Cricket' Ahead Of IPL 2026, Tries To Chase 40 Runs In 15 Balls. Here's How He Did

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and India's Jitesh Sharma showed the difference between star cricketers and mere mortals in a 'gully cricket' (street cricket) clash ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. In a viral social media video, Jitesh made light work of a daunting scenario. The powerhitting wicket-keeper batter, who boasted a strike-rate of 176.35 in IPL 2025, challenged himself to chase down 40 runs in 15 balls, and hammered sixes and fours aplenty to complete it with ease.

Jitesh smashed three monstrous sixes and a boundary off his first six balls to bring the equation down to 18 off nine balls. The 32-year-old then narrowly missed out on a couple of balls, but hammered two further sixes to bring it down to two runs off the final three deliveries. He ultimately finished off the challenge on the final ball.

In the IPL, Jitesh played a crucial role as a finisher to guide RCB to their first-ever title in 2025. His most memorable knock came in RCB's final league stage game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), when he hammered an unbeaten 85 off just 33 balls to help his team chase down a massive target of 228. That win ensured that RCB finished in the top two.

Jitesh was unlucky to miss out on India's victorious T20 World Cup 2026 squad. Despite being part of the team in the lead-up to the tournament, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s decision to choose two wicket-keeper batters who bat in the top order saw him miss out on the 15-man roster.

Heading into IPL 2026, RCB fans will undoubtedly pin their hopes on Jitesh once again. Along with the likes of Australian Tim David and West Indies' Romario Shepherd, Jitesh forms arguably the best team of finishers in the tournament.

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