The finest innings of the current IPL 2025 season, according to former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody, was Jitesh Sharma’s undefeated 85, which gave Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) a top-two finish with a six-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Jitesh’s spectacular innings, which included six sixes and eight fours, helped RCB chase down 228 runs at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, the third-highest successful run chase in their IPL history. In addition to becoming RCB the first club in IPL history to win all seven away games in a season, the victory helped them secure a matchup with Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on Thursday.

“In my opinion, the innings is by far the best of the IPL this season. Wow, this knock is really amazing! We’ve seen some amazing ones from both young and elderly. With their backs against the wall with Kohli and (Phil) Salt in the sheds, the team was completely against it.

He disregarded the considerable headwind and proceeded to dissect the game. In addition to dissecting the game, he played shrewdly; his approach gave the impression that he had done it many times before, according to Moody on ESPNCricinfo.

Abhinav Mukund, a former batsman for India, praised Jitesh for learning from his mistakes in RCB’s loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. He also highlighted the lucky breaks he had during his knock, including escaping a run-out attempt at the non-strikers’ end off Digvesh Rathi, surviving a run-out, and getting reprieved off a no-ball.

“It’s a positive indicator for any IPL player, isn’t it? In the previous game, they were 172 for 3 after chasing 232 and getting 189 all out. I am aware that the wickets fell before him, but immediately after the pause in the last game, the pressure mounted.

“When he emerged from the no-ball, I had the same worry, but there, luck is a lovely thing. After receiving a reprieve, you decide that this time, you won’t make the same mistake again. That’s precisely what took place. I’m very thrilled for Jitesh, but as a mid-order batter, this is precisely what you’re paying a lot of money for.

And he’s shown that quite a bit. He said, “I think this guy has one better, with 85 off 33, on a night when your best wicketkeeper or your World Cup wicketkeeper (LSG captain Rishabh Pant) gets a hundred and everyone is happy.”