Sai Sudharsan had sliced this to the third-man boundary for a four. GT were going on very well with a record 167-run stand for the opening wicket in their chase of 215. But then, suddenly, he looked behind him on his follow-through. Hands on his head, face in disbelief, and Gill on his knees. Sudharsan had just dropped the bat back onto the stumps after hitting a boundary, for the second time in a row.
His dismissal in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 against the Rajasthan Royals was similar to the one he endured against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Qualifier 1. Played a cut, the ball went to the boundary, but the bat rolled back to the stumps. Two in a row for GT’s star, who has held the orange cap a few times this season. Not good signs when you are a top-heavy batting side, and especially going into the final against a team like RCB.
It will not happen thrice, many would say. But it should not have ideally happened twice, too. However, with GT near the finishing line and Gill still out there, unbeaten on 95, the Titans had not much to worry. Things were light, and they stayed that way at the end of the match as GT chased down 215 to book their place in the final.
The imminent question from the broadcasters – Would you take some glue to keep your bat stick in your hands? Just like the broadcasters, Sudharsan had a humorous reply. “I think I should try some things. I’m going to try some grip tech now and just bat a few balls and see how it is. (How does it happen twice in two games?) Seriously. In the last game, it just bounced a few times and hit the stumps. But this game, I just wanted it to hit straight, I think,” he said in the post-match presentation after his team’s seven-wicket win over the RR.
Sudharsan and Gill put record stand
Till the time Sudharsan and Gill were out there, they batted RR out of the competition with a record stand. Their 167-run stand for the opening wicket is now the highest in an IPL playoff game for any wicket. The previous record belonged to Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay, both of whom had put up 159 for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2011 final against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Royal Challengers Bangalore).ย
Sudharsan and Gill have turned out to be the most prolific partners in T20 cricket now. They have put up 11 partnerships of 100 or more, which is now the most in the format. The previous record was jointly held by Chris Gayle-Virat Kohli, Babar Azam-Mohammad Rizwan and AB de Villiers-Virat Kohli, all of whom had put up 10 such stands.
GT into their third IPL final
Meanwhile, the Titans have marched into their third IPL final in their fifth season. They had won the IPL 2022 on their maiden appearance before falling a little short to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023 final. They will now be up against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 final in a fight for the title.
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