Punjab Kings announce their vice-captain for IPL 2024

In a recent development coming in ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), Punjab Kings (PBKS) have named their wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma as vice-captain for the new edition. 

The news was confirmed during the pre-season captains' photoshoot ahead of the IPL 2024 opener on March 22 where Jitesh stepped in for regular skipper Shikhar Dhawan. 

Bought by PBKS for INR 20 lakhs in the 2020 auction, Jitesh has been one of the brightest talents for the franchise in the recent IPL seasons. He has scored 543 runs in the last two seasons while striking the ball at an impressive rate of 159.24.

In IPL 2023, Jitesh scored 309 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of over 150. Following his stellar performances both with the bat and behind the stumps, he earned his maiden national call-up and broke into the Indian T20I setup.

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Jitesh has justified his selection as well. Since making his debut for the tricolour in October 2023, Jitesh has scored 100 runs at a strike-rate of 147.05, while taking three catches and has a solitary stumping to his name in nine matches.

IPL 2024 will thus be extremely crucial for Jitesh as he will aim to cement his spot in India's squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, later this year in June.

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Led by Dhawan with Jitesh on his side, the PBKS franchise will kickstart their IPL 2024 campaign on March 23 against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Chandigarh. The franchise will play their tournament opener in the newly-build Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, which will host its first-ever IPL and T20 match.

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