Before VPL T20, NECO Master Blaster captain Jitesh Sharma told his strategy, became champion last season

Having led the franchise to victory last season, Jitesh believes that defending a championship is a completely different mental challenge than trying to win it.

VPL T20, Jitesh Sharma: Ahead of the upcoming season of Vidarbha Premier League (VPL), reigning T20 champion NECO Master Blaster captain Jitesh Sharma shared his views on the pressure of defending the title, the mindset required to remain successful and his expectations from the players this season.

Having led the franchise to victory last season, Jitesh believes that defending a championship is a completely different mental challenge than trying to win it.

What did Jitesh Sharma say?

Jitesh Sharma said, “Defending the title brings an extra and unnecessary burden, winning the cup takes away unnecessary attention. I think chasing something always brings in the thought of what is the next step we should take. It changes your mindset.”

He further added, “When you go to win or chase a trophy, you always plan to win the match. But when you are defending a title, the thought comes in your mind that I don’t want to lose. I don’t want to lose this trophy. If you think about how to win, it makes a lot of difference in your mindset.”

Jitesh Sharma stressed on continuity and discipline

Talking about what the team needs to do to repeat last season’s success, the wicketkeeper-batsman stressed the importance of consistency and discipline. Explaining the process behind consistent success, Jitesh said, “I think the secret to success is doing the same ‘boring’ thing over and over again.”

What message did Jitesh Sharma give to the team?

As captain, Jitesh also delivered a strong message to his teammates ahead of Season 2, emphasizing the importance of freedom, fearlessness and trust in a team environment. He said, “Be natural, be fearless. I will support you no matter what the performance is and I am sure whatever decision you take on the field will be in the interest of the team and I will respect that and even if you fail, I will stand by you. Even if you succeed, I will congratulate you.”

Emphasis on becoming a good cricketer rather than match results

The NECO Master Blaster captain also revealed that his focus is not just on results but on ensuring that the players become better as cricketers and as people during the tournament. Jitesh Sharma said, “I will give a very simple answer, I just want the players to perform 2%, 3% better in this league. That’s all. I am not expecting too much from them. I just want them to be 10% better now as a person and as a cricketer compared to the previous league and the previous matches.”

“Instead of thinking about performance, they should be more skilled, more mentally strong and physically more tough. And you can also say they should have more courage to take more risks in this league. That’s my expectation.”

NECO Master Blaster will enter the VPL T20 2026 as the defending champions, with a strong mix of experienced players and emerging young talent. Along with the men’s team, the women’s team of the franchise will also aim to leave a strong mark in the coming season.

NECO Master Blaster Men’s Team:

Jitesh Sharma, Adhyayan Daga, Aryan Meshram, Shanmesh Deshmukh, Ananmay Jaiswal, Vedanta Dighade, Vaibhav Chandekar, Abhishek Gupta, Shantanu Rajput, Dipesh Parwani, Harsh Dubey, Avinash Jadhav, Arya Durugkar, Gaurav Dhoble, Gaurav Farde, Kush Khandelwal.