Jitesh Sharma moves from Vidarbha to Baroda ahead of 2025-26 domestic season

Vidarbha and Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma will represent Baroda in the upcoming season.

The 31-year-old did not feature in any matches during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, playing second fiddle to captain and first-choice wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar. He remained part of Vidarbha's white-ball squads, led by Karun Nair.

The transfer to Baroda has reportedly been in the works for some time, with Jitesh's close ties to Baroda captain Krunal Pandya, his fellow Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate during their maiden IPL title win earlier this year, believed to have helped facilitate the move.

The shift could give Jitesh a renewed opportunity to cement his place as a regular in first-class cricket. Since making his debut in 2015-16, Jitesh has managed to feature in just 18 first-class games over the past ten seasons. He averages a modest 24.48 with four half-centuries. His most recent first-class game came nearly 18 months ago.

Despite limited match time in red-ball cricket, Jitesh has made a mark in the shortest formats over the past few years. After breaking through for Punjab Kings in 2023, Jitesh earned an India T20I debut during the Asian Games in October that year. He has featured in nine T20Is.

Earlier this year, Jitesh played a key role as finisher for RCB at IPL 2025, including scoring a maiden half-century, an unbeaten 85, in a must-win against Lucknow Super Giants that helped them finish in the top two. He was vice-captain to Rajat Patidar, and also stood-in as captain when Patidar was injured towards the back end of the competition.

Meanwhile, Jitesh's IPL team-mate Swapnil Singh, RCB's only RTM (right to match) at the mega auction, is set to move to Tripura. Swapnil didn't feature in a single game for RCB and last played domestic cricket for Uttarakhand in 2024-25, picking up 18 wickets in five matches during the Ranji Trophy. His white-ball numbers were modest.

Swapnil, a regular in the club cricket scene in Chennai, was most recently part of Chepauk Super Gillies in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2025, picking up three wickets in eight matches while scoring 85 runs in eight games with the bat.