Jitesh and Swapnil make domestic moves to Vidarbha and Tripura to seek playing time

Gantavya Adukia
Jitesh Sharma will play for Baroda in 2025/26 Indian domestic season after severing ties with Vidarbha

2025 Indian Premier League winners Jitesh Sharma and Swapnil Singh have decided to switch their domestic allegiances ahead of the upcoming season. Jitesh was restricted to a back-up role in the Ranji Trophy at Vidarbha while Swapnil is making a second career switch, having made his debut for Baroda.

Indian domestic veterans Jitesh Sharma and Swapnil Singh are set for new pastures in the 2025/26 season after confirming their moves to Vidarbha and Tripura respectively. While Jitesh is leaving Vidarbha after an 11-year association with the regional team, Swapnil Singh only joined Uttarakhand in 2021 and will represent his third domestic team in what has been a start-and-stop career.

Jitesh was an integral part of Vidarbha's white-ball teams, scoring 183 runs at 36.60 and over run-a-ball in the latest Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign to help his side claim the runners-up medal. The 31-year-old wicket-keeper batter also played all four Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s albeit the side failed to win any of their games and ended last in their group. However, Jitesh was starved of red-ball opportunities in the setup, with skipper Akshay Wadkar preferred as the glove wielder while leading the team to the Ranji Trophy title last year. Jitesh has only featured in 18 first-class games in his career, scoring four half-centuries while averaging under 25, and last donned the whites in January 2024. Baroda, meanwhile, have the struggling Mitesh Patel as their incumbent keeper and with Jitesh's RCB teammate Krunal Pandya at the helm, the batter is practically guaranteed to make it to the starting line-up.

Swapnil, on the other hand, has failed to make the most of his potential having made his Ranji Trophy debut as a 14-year-old for Baroda. However, it was not until 2010/11 that he became a regular part of the lineup for two years before again losing his spot for an extended period. The all-rounder's most consistent run in the Baroda lineup came between 2014 and 2016, when he played 31 games for the side across formats, and was even selected for the Duleep Trophy in 2018. However, the all-rounder lost favour once again soon after and ultimately moved to Uttarakhand for more playing opportunites. The 34-year-old rose to prominence last year after finding a place as the primary spinner in RCB's lineup for the second half of the tournament, and played a crucial role in a six-match winning streak that helped the team make the playoffs in extraordinary fashion. Swapnil was rewarded for his efforts with a Right-to-Match by RCB in 2025 but made no appearances, a scenario unlikely to arise in his upcoming association with Tripura.

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