Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has expressed his desire to play for Mumbai Indians or Chennai Super Kings for the next season of Indian Premier League. Jitesh, who is currently a part of Punjab Kings, revealed that he hasn’t received any message from the franchise yet.
Jitesh has been associated with Punjab Kings since IPL 2022. He has a good record with the franchise and has played many substantial knocks for them. However, the IPL 2024 season was disappointing for Jitesh as he was below par with the bat.
Jitesh was even dropped from the team in favor of youngsters like Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma with Jonny Bairstow taking the wicketkeeping gloves. He will be aiming to start the next season on a positive note.
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Will the Punjab Kings retain Jitesh Sharma?
During an interview with TOI, Jitesh Sharma spoke about the chances of being retained by Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. He claimed that he has not received any communication regarding his retention yet.
“Let’s see. If I am in their plans, they will retain me; otherwise, they won’t because I have not received any communication yet from Punjab Kings,” Jitesh said.
Jitesh Sharma has played 40 matches for Punjab Kings in IPL. He has scored 730 runs at an average of 22.81 and a strike rate of 151.14. Coming in the lower order, Jitesh has played the role of a finisher quite well for the franchise.
Jitesh Sharma expresses desire to play for Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings
The wicketkeeper-batter further expressed his desire to play for either Chennai Super Kings or Mumbai Indians in the upcoming season if Punjab Kings do not retain him. Being an ex-MI player, he expressed his desire to play for the franchise.
“If you ask me personally, then I would prefer to play for CSK or MI. I have experienced the MI atmosphere, and I love Wankhede because, as a Maharashtrian, it has always been close to my heart. During my younger days, I watched matches at Wankhede and sat outside, feeling the vibe. I want to experience that feeling while playing inside the stadium for Mumbai Indians,” Jitesh explained.
Before being signed by the Punjab Kings, Jitesh Sharma was in the Mumbai Indians squad. However, he did not get a game. He finally made his IPL debut in 2022 for Punjab Kings. Jitesh also admires MS Dhoni which is the reason why he would like to be a part of Chennai Super Kings.
“I would like to play for Chennai Super Kings because of Mahi bhai and because Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK captain) is my good friend and I enjoy playing under him the same way I enjoy playing under Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) bhai,” he added.
Both Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are the most successful teams in IPL history with five titles to their name. Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are the joint most successful captains in the IPL.
Jitesh Sharma’s T20I record
Jitesh Sharma has also played T20I cricket for India. He has played 9 T20Is and scored 100 runs at an average of 14.28 and a strike rate of 147.05.
He was in India’s plans for the T20 World Cup 2024 but a disappointing IPL 2024 season went against him and the selectors picked Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as India’s wicketkeepers.