Sai Sudharsen’s response after back-to-back wicket dismissals (Image: X)
Sai Sudharsan created a strange and unwanted part of IPL history when he became the first batsman to be dismissed off the wicket in consecutive matches. The Gujarat Titans opener suffered two almost identical dismissals during the IPL 2026 qualifiers, first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 and then against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2.In Qualifier 1 against RCB, GT was chasing a record target of 255 runs when Sudharsan’s bat slipped from his hands while trying to bowl and hit the stumps, leading to him being dismissed for 14. The bizarre dismissal led to a dramatic first-order collapse as GT fell to 51/5.
Just three days later, history repeated itself in the second qualifier against Rajasthan Royals. Chasing 215 at Mullanpur, Sudharsan was in brilliant touch, racing to 58 off just 32 balls.
However, after clipping a boundary to off-spinner Brijesh Sharma, his bat again slipped from his hands while following through and hit the stumps, resulting in another unusual dismissal from the wicket.
Despite the bizarre setback, Gujarat Titans went on to register a comfortable seven-wicket win and book their place in the final of IPL 2026. Speaking after the match, Sudharsen dealt with the unusual events in good spirits and joked that he might need to work on his grip before the summit encounter in Ahmedabad.
“I think I have to try some things. I’ll try some catching techniques now and hit some balls and see how it goes. Seriously. In the last match, the ball bounced a few times and hit the stumps. But in this game, I just wanted the ball to be hit straight, I guess,” Sudharsin said during the post-match presentation.
Gujarat Titans secured a place in the IPL 2026 final with a dominant seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Mullanpur. RR scored 214/6, aided by a brilliant 96 off 47 balls from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a late cameo from Donovan Ferreira.In reply, GT captain Shubman Gill stormed from the front with a stunning 104 off 53 balls, while Sai Sudharsan scored 58 off 32. Their huge opening partnership put GT firmly in control as they chased down the target in just 18.4, finishing on 219/3.