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“Built to Fight”- RCB taunts BCCI after Jitesh Sharma’s T20 World Cup snub

Kaushik Kashyap

Jitesh Sharma. [Source - ACC/RCBTweets/x.com]Jitesh Sharma. [Source - ACC/RCBTweets/x.com]

Indian cricket witnessed an unexpected selection twist on Saturday afternoon that quickly became a major talking point among fans and experts. 

The omission of Jitesh Sharma from India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad sparked debates, emotions, and even an indirect reaction from his IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

On Saturday, India’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, captain Suryakumar Yadav, and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced the 15-member squad that will defend the T20 World Cup title at home from February 7.

While the squad featured familiar names, two major changes shocked everyone. Explosive finisher keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma was dropped in favor of Ishan Kishan, for his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy heroics with Jharkhand, while Shubman Gill made way for Rinku Singh.

RCB take a subtle dig after Jitesh Sharma’s T20 World Cup omission

Jitesh’s exclusion raised eyebrows as he had been part of India’s T20 setup throughout the cycle. Since Gill’s return, Jitesh had cemented his role as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper and a designated finisher alongside Hardik Pandya.

Dropping him just one series before the marquee event felt harsh and triggered widespread discussions on social media and among cricket pundits.

Among the reactions, RCB’s post stood out. The franchise shared a picture of Jitesh Sharma with the caption, “All Heart. Built to Fight.” The timing was just a couple of hours after the squad announcement, which was seen as an indirect jab at the BCCI and their T20 World Cup selection.

Jitesh had enjoyed a breakthrough IPL season with RCB, playing a key role in their maiden title win and proving his worth as a rare middle-order wicketkeeper-finisher. Even RCB batting coach and former India star Dinesh Karthik expressed shock at the decision on social media.

While the reasons behind Jitesh Sharma’s snub remain debatable, fair or unfair, one thing is clear, his franchise and RCB fans stood firmly by him, and Jitesh himself, even if left feeling unfortunate, will be highly motivated to deliver for RCB in the upcoming IPL.