{"id":13177,"date":"2026-05-30T05:12:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T05:12:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/sai-sudharsan-hits-wicket-twice-in-playoffs-jokes-about-needing-grip-tech"},"modified":"2026-05-30T05:12:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T05:12:54","slug":"sai-sudharsan-hits-wicket-twice-in-playoffs-jokes-about-needing-grip-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/sai-sudharsan-hits-wicket-twice-in-playoffs-jokes-about-needing-grip-tech","title":{"rendered":"Sai Sudharsan Hits-Wicket Twice in Playoffs, Jokes About Needing Grip Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sai Sudharsan etched his name into unwanted IPL trivia by becoming the first batter to be dismissed hit-wicket in consecutive playoff matches. The Gujarat Titans opener suffered two eerily similar blow-ups across the IPL 2026 playoffs\u2014first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 and then again versus Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2\u2014yet his side still surged to the final.<\/p>\n<h2>Back-to-back hit-wicket dismissals in the playoffs<\/h2>\n<p>The sequence began in Qualifier 1 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Gujarat were chasing a daunting 255-run target when Sudharsan went for a run. In a bizarre moment, his bat slipped out of his hands and struck the stumps, ending his innings at 14 and handing the opposition a rare kind of breakthrough.<\/p>\n<p>That freak dismissal sparked a sharp wobble in the chase. Gujarat Titans slid to 51\/5 as the top order faltered immediately after Sudharsan\u2019s exit.<\/p>\n<p>Only three days later, history repeated itself in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals. Chasing 215 in Mullanpur, Sudharsan looked in fine rhythm, racing to 58 off just 32 balls. But after cutting a boundary off spinner Brijesh Sharma, the same kind of mishap occurred\u2014his bat slipped again during the follow-through and crashed into the stumps, resulting in another extraordinary hit-wicket dismissal.<\/p>\n<h2>Qualifier 2: Gujarat\u2019s chase in Mullanpur<\/h2>\n<p>Despite the strange setbacks, Gujarat Titans responded with purpose and completed the job in style, securing a seven-wicket triumph over Rajasthan Royals to earn their spot in the IPL 2026 final.<\/p>\n<p>Rajasthan Royals had posted 214\/6. Their total was driven by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s sparkling 96 off 47 balls, supported by a late cameo from Donovan Ferreira.<\/p>\n<p>In reply, the chase was led by Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill, who struck a commanding 104 off 53 deliveries. Sudharsan added 58 off 32 as the pair steadied the innings and then pushed it decisively.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Target chased: 215<\/li>\n<li>Gujarat finished: 219\/3<\/li>\n<li>Chase completed in: 18.4 overs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Sudharsan\u2019s response: turning the incidents into a joke<\/h2>\n<p>After the win, Sudharsan addressed the back-to-back hit-wicket dismissals with a calm, humorous outlook. He suggested he may need to adjust his grip before the summit clash in Ahmedabad, adding that last time the bat had bounced and hit the stumps, while this time he simply wanted it to go straight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I should try some things. I\u2019m going to try some grip tech now and just bat a few balls and see how it is. Seriously. Last game it just bounced a few times and hit the stumps. But this game, I just wanted it to hit straight, I think,\u201d he said during the post-match presentation.<\/p>\n<h2>What it means for IPL 2026<\/h2>\n<p>With the seven-wicket victory in Qualifier 2, Gujarat Titans have now booked their place in the IPL 2026 final. The match also underlined how quickly momentum can swing in T20 cricket\u2014especially when a batter suffers an unusual dismissal\u2014yet still manage to find a way to finish the chase comfortably.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sai Sudharsan etched his name into unwanted IPL trivia by becoming the first batter to be dismissed hit-wicket in consecutive playoff matches. The Gujarat Titans&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL Playoffs: Sai Sudharsan Hit-Wicket Twice in 2026","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Sai Sudharsan becomes first IPL batter to go hit-wicket in consecutive playoffs, then quips about needing better grip tech as GT storms on.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>IPL Playoffs: Sai Sudharsan Hit-Wicket Twice in 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sai Sudharsan becomes first IPL batter to go hit-wicket in consecutive playoffs, then quips about needing better grip tech as GT storms on.\" \/>\n<meta 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