Sai Sudharsan could only shake his head. Two matches in three days, two hit-wickets caused by the same mishap – the bat slipping out of his hands and clattering into the stumps. Gujarat Titans still beat Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 to book an IPL 2026 final date with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, yet their left-hander walked off looking more bemused than triumphant.
“I think I should try some things,” he told the host broadcaster almost sheepishly. “I’m going to try some grip tech now and just bat a few balls and see how it is. But honestly, I don’t have a lot of answers on how it happened.”
Key facts first. Chasing 215, Titans romped home thanks mainly to Sudharsan’s 58 from 32 deliveries and another fluent contribution from Shubman Gill. The pair added 167 – their fourth century partnership of the season – before Sudharsan’s bat took an unexpected detour. Brijesh Sharma slung down a low full toss, Sudharsan leaned into the drive, and the willow flew out of his follow-through, hitting middle and leg. Cue stunned silence, then a rueful smile.
The number now reads three hit-wickets in his T20 career, level with Andre Russell and Shoaib Malik. Once might be misfortune, twice curious, three times and analysts start looking for patterns. His previous dismissal, against RCB in Qualifier 1, looked almost identical: a crisp cut off Jacob Duffy, the bat spiralling backwards, leg stump disturbed before the ball reached the rope.
“Seriously, last game it [the bat] just bounced a few times and hit the stumps. But this game, I just wanted it to hit straight away, I think,” Sudharsan joked.
Gill, unbeaten at the other end, dropped to his knees in disbelief. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that,” he admitted. “Two matches, two in a row, the way he got out. I saw some video on social media that he was taping his hands, I think. I’m going to have to do that in the next match.”
The opener duo have already topped 700 runs apiece this season. Their method is simple enough: assess, pick a bowler each and attack in turns. “Honestly, I think we complement each other very well,” Gill said. “We understand each other’s game very well… we know one of us has to take down one of the bowlers.”
Sudharsan believes the partnership has matured since his debut in 2022 – incidentally the year of his first hit-wicket, at Brabourne against Mumbai Indians. “I think it [the partnership with Gill] definitely evolved over the years,” he reflected. “I had great experiences in the first few years with the GT team which gave me some exposure or some experience on what I want to improve. This year there are so many points where I can improve so that I’ll work on that and come back.”
Coaches are unlikely to fuss over technique; the grip, however, is a different matter. Rubber inserts, sticky spray, even a change of gloves will be considered before Sunday’s final. Sudharsan, half-laughing, half-perplexed, summed it up best: cricket, for all its data and preparation, still finds odd ways to surprise.
