RCB will enter the IPL 2026 as the defending champions of the tournament.
After an 18-year-long wait, battling through multiple heartbreaks, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are finally entering an Indian Premier League (IPL) edition as the defending champions of the tournament. But the star wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma does not agree with them being labeled as the “defending champions” before the IPL 2026.
After finally getting their hands on the elusive trophy, the gloveman has shared how the RCB management has fired them up to double down on the glory. Last season, the Bengaluru outfit had enjoyed a record-breaking outing, winning all of their away fixtures besides a few intense clashes at home, before claiming the title for the first time ever in the tournament’s history.
“Our CEO [Director of Cricket], Mo Bobat, has said that we are not defending the cup, we’re chasing it. When you think about defending the title, then you might become defensive. But we are chasing, so we will always try to attack. That will be our motto, to dominate the league from the beginning, and to continue the momentum to chase down the cup again,” said the batter in a YouTube video.
The 32-year-old also discussed how the RCB batting coach and mentor, Dinesh Karthik, transformed his 2024 self with more belief and an attacking mindset throughout the previous season. While speaking about his match-winning 85 not out off just 33 balls in the final league-stage fixture, the batter once again credited Karthik for guiding him to steer the side towards the much-needed victory.
“I had a lot of discussions with Dinesh Karthik. He showed me the mirror that I’m capable to do such things. He guided me on how to attack, which shots can be played against particular bowlers, and helped me to plan around it. Dinesh Karthik was the actual choreographer behind the innings. He was dictating to me throughout the match, after every over and between the drinks break as well,” added Jitesh.
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The player also revealed that he had not interacted much with the former RCB captain Virat Kohli before joining the team in the IPL 2025.
“I’ve always looked to learn something from him rather than joking around. As a new player on the team, I was asking the management and friends about when he will join the squad. But when he came, I had immense respect for him rather than fear. He has a different kind of energy and aura,” he noted.
However, the title-holders will kick off their campaign with the season opener against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Jitesh would look to continue with the same momentum after having an impactful debut season for the franchise, putting up 261 runs in 15 fixtures, including some crucial, match-defining knocks, striking at a blistering rate of 176.35.
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