Jitesh Sharma (RCB): 186 SR vs Pace at Death Locks Down the #5 Spot
Jitesh Sharma projects at 0.24 WAR/M for IPL 2026, slotting into the #5 position in RCB's optimal XII. His natural profile is Lower Middle (#6), but the model pushes him up one spot to accommodate Tim David at #6. His batting WAR/M of 0.27 drives all his value. Across 1373 career batting balls and 95 matches, the sample is moderate.
Sharma doubles as wicketkeeper, though Salt takes primary gloves duty in the optimal XI. If Salt misses a match, Sharma provides backup without altering the batting order. His position fit score of 1.64 reflects the death-overs hitting that defines his value.
Death Overs vs Pace: The Calling Card
Sharma strikes at 186 against pace at the death across 268 balls. That is 27 points above the 159 average. The 268 ball sample provides reasonable confidence in the number.
He faces 54% of his deliveries at the death, confirming his role as a death-overs hitter. His death SR of 201 across 80 IPL 2025 balls is 29 points above the 172 average. He hits boundaries at 33% at the death with only 29% dots.
Middle Overs vs Spin: Adequate
Against spin in the middle overs, he manages 137 across 215 balls, 8 points above the 129 average. Against pace in the middle overs, 144 across 232 balls. Both numbers sit above average, though neither is elite.
Phase Splits
| Phase | SR | Balls | vs Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| PP (1-6) | 117 | 236 | -35 |
| Mid (7-15) | 111 | 123 | -33 |
| Death (16-20) | 201 | 80 | +29 |
The powerplay and middle-overs numbers are poor: 117 and 111 respectively. Those phases are 35 and 33 points below their league averages. Sharma is not a batter you want facing the new ball or operating through the middle overs in a building role. His value is entirely concentrated at the death.
The split between his death production and his earlier-phase numbers is one of the most extreme on any IPL roster. He is a specialist finisher batting at #5.
SRae and Impact
His SRae of 18 reflects the death-overs production outweighing the weak earlier phases. He struck 18 points above expected for the phases he batted in. The batting surplus of 26 runs above replacement confirms positive net impact.
IPL 2025 Season Review
In IPL 2025, Sharma scored 261 runs off 147 balls at 178 SR across 11 innings. He converted 1 start into a fifty with a high score of 85. His average of 24 is modest, reflecting the high-risk nature of death-overs batting.
His boundary percentage of 76% confirms all-or-nothing hitting. He does not rotate strike. Every ball is a potential boundary or a dot.
Chase vs Set
He is a chase specialist: 212 SR chasing versus 152 batting first. That 60 point gap is enormous and suggests he thrives when the target is known and the required rate is clear.
One concern: 100% of his dismissals in IPL 2025 are caught (6 of 6). That pattern suggests a tendency to find fielders when attempting big shots.
What This Means for IPL 2026
Sharma fills the domestic middle-order power-hitter role at #5. His death-overs ability against pace is genuine and repeatable over 268 balls. The risk is early wickets forcing him to bat in the middle overs, where his 111 SR drags the scoring rate. If the top order (Salt, Kohli, Iyer, Patidar) does its job and Sharma arrives with 4-5 overs left, he will produce.
His xImpact of 59 confirms steady production in the right context. The backup keeping option adds flexibility. At 0.24 WAR/M, the model values him as a solid but not spectacular XI member.