Image: The inclusion of Rajat Patidar in the matchday squad for the match against LSG / © India TV News
The team was under pressure, looking to secure their spot in Qualifier 1, as players aimed to deliver their best. A new captain stepped up for the toss, only to hand over the wrong playing XI sheet. This is classic Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), a team that often stumbles in high-stakes moments, a key reason they haven’t lifted the IPL trophy in 17 years. On May 27, 2025, during the 70th match of IPL 2025 at Lucknow’s Ekana Cricket Stadium, RCB added another chapter to their saga of blunders, this time with a mix-up that could have cost them dearly against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
With a top-two finish on the line, RCB, already playoff-bound with eight wins in 13 games, needed a victory to secure a Qualifier 1 spot. Regular captain Rajat Patidar, nursing a finger injury from a May 3 clash against Chennai Super Kings, was unfit to field and slated to play as an Impact Player. Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma took charge, winning the toss and opting to bowl first on a pitch that looked chase-friendly. Jitesh announced two changes: Liam Livingstone replaced the injured Tim David, and Nuwan Thushara came in for Lungi Ngidi, who had left for South Africa. Crucially, he confirmed Patidar would bat as an Impact Player, meaning he shouldn’t be in the bowling XI.
But chaos ensued. RCB’s official team sheet for bowling first mistakenly listed Patidar in the playing XI instead of leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, who was meant to make the attack better. This error, spotted by LSG’s team management, meant RCB risked fielding a half-fit Patidar and playing with one less bowler. Commentator Sanjay Bangar noted LSG could have enforced the original sheet, potentially derailing RCB’s strategy. Fortunately, LSG captain Rishabh Pant showed sportsmanship, allowing RCB to correct the sheet, and swapping Patidar for Suyash.
The mix-up, broadcast live and shared widely on social media, highlighted RCB’s nerves under pressure. Jitesh’s oversight at the toss reflected the team’s recurring issue of faltering in critical moments. Despite the correction, the incident underscored the fine margins in IPL success. RCB’s final XI included Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Livingstone, Jitesh, and Suyash, with Patidar among the Impact Subs. Moreover, the fans on the Internet blasted the RCB stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma for making such an error, as this could have impacted the RCB team in the wrong way.
Jitesh Sharma handing over the wrong team sheet was a clear mistake, likely made under pressure as his team was pushing for a top-two playoff spot. But this isn’t the first time such an error has happened. There have been a few similar moments in cricket where captains or teams submitted the wrong team sheet by mistake. Let’s have a look at some of those incidents in the past.
During the Women’s Big Bash League, the team that found itself in an unusual controversy was the Sydney Sixers. In a rare and costly administrative mistake, they were fined $25,000 by Cricket Australia for including an ineligible player, Hayley Silver-Holmes, in their playing eleven against the Melbourne Renegades. The root of the issue lay in the fact that Silver-Holmes, although recovered from a recent injury, had not yet been officially approved by the WBBL’s technical committee to rejoin the 15-member squad. Despite this, her name was mistakenly included in the official team sheet before the match.
Although the error was significant, the Sixers promptly reported the mistake themselves during the match, which softened the consequences. Silver-Holmes did not bat in the first innings and was not allowed to bowl in the second, leaving the Sixers with just ten players actively participating in the match. This shortfall proved costly, as the team ended up losing the game in the final over. The lack of a full bowling attack may have contributed to the defeat and impacted their Net Run Rate as well. Because the Sixers self-reported the mistake and cooperated fully with the investigation, Cricket Australia suspended $15,000 of the total $25,000 fine.
The governing body acknowledged that while the breach was serious, the prompt action by the team minimized its impact. It was also noted that the team’s failure to win the match and the resulting dip in their Net Run Rate already served as a form of penalty. Cricket Australia’s Senior Conduct Commissioner, Alan Sullivan QC, confirmed that harsher penalties, including the maximum fine of $50,000 or further sanctions, were not deemed appropriate in this case. CA’s Head of Integrity and Security, Sean Carroll, emphasized the importance of maintaining integrity in all competitions and lauded the Sixers’ quick response.
Before the RCB stand-in captain, Jitesh Sharma, made a mistake during the toss in the match against the Lucknow Super Giants. The same mistake was made in IPL when Sunrisers Hyderabad’s regular captain Aiden Markram submitted the wrong team sheet ahead of their crucial match against the same opponent, LSG in IPL 2023. This blunder led to a heartbreaking moment for young all-rounder Sanvir Singh, who was supposed to make his IPL debut.
At the toss, Markram had confirmed that Sanvir would be making his debut for SRH. However, as the match progressed, fans noticed that Sanvir was neither part of the playing eleven nor the impact substitute. Instead, Vivrant Sharma was used as the substitute when SRH took the field. Scott Styris later clarified the confusion in the commentary. He revealed that SRH had mistakenly submitted their “bowling-first” team sheet, although they were batting first in the match. According to IPL rules, two team sheets are prepared, depending on whether the team bowls or bats first.
Unfortunately for SRH, Sanvir’s name was on the batting-first team sheet, but they handed in the other one, which had T Natarajan in place of Sanvir. Styris even held up the team sheet during the broadcast, showing how Sanvir’s name had been scratched out, and it looked like the wrong document had been handed over. This mistake meant Sanvir, who had already been given his debut cap before the match, couldn’t take part in the game. To make matters worse, SRH went on to lose the match by 7 wickets, severely denting their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.