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Jitesh Sharma looks at Virat Kohli with folded hands after being told to smash cake on his face; all hell breaks loose

Samira Vishwas | June 2, 2025 10:24 PM CST

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru players are on cloud nine after reaching the IPL final after nine years, where they take on Punjab Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, tomorrow. The players and support staff are focused on bringing their first IPL trophy to the cabinet, but at the same time, the guys are in equally good spirits off the field. While the real celebrations may kick off if they clinch the title, a low-key birthday bash was held at RCB’s team hotel on Sunday to mark the birthdays of Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik.

RCB shared a video of the birthday celebration, which began on a sweet note with Patidar and Karthik cutting cakes—until Jitesh Sharma crashed the scene with some enthusiastic cake-smashing, turning the moment into a full-blown, messy party.

Patidar was the first one to get attacked, and then followed by RCB’s batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik, but Jitesh didn’t stop there and found some other victims too. Senior batter Virat Kohli also assisted his teammates in smashing cake on analyst Freddie Wilde’s face. Jitesh himself got attacked, and his face was covered by the end of the video. However, when Liam Livingstone playfully urged Jitesh to smear cake on Kohli’s face, the wicketkeeper responded with a folded-hands gesture, looked at Kohli, then towards the heavens, and politely declined.

Watch the clip below:

The light-hearted celebration offered a perfect break just days before the big final, giving the players a chance to unwind, bond as a team, and momentarily shift focus away from the high-pressure game ahead.

The last time RCB reached the final was in 2016. Kohli had a stellar season with 973 runs, but he failed to lead his team to the IPL title after losing the final to SRH. The former skipper is once again focused on helping to end their title drought, as he has been in stellar form once again, scoring 614 runs so far.

Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood key for RCB in big finale

RCB have already faced Punjab Kings three times this season and emerged victorious twice, including the last one in Qualifier 1. They were reinforced by Josh Hazlewood’s return from a shoulder injury ahead of the playoff, and he had an immediate impact as they dismantled Punjab for 101 on Thursday.

Much like Kohli’s steady presence with the bat, Hazlewood has anchored RCB’s bowling attack with composure and precision. With 21 wickets to his name, the Australian is currently the fourth-highest wicket-taker and will be eager to climb further in the rankings in what could be his final outing this season.