Bat flies, stumps broken: Sai Sudharsan suffers bizarre hit-wicket dismissal in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 vs RCB – WATCH

NEW DELHI: If there is ever a list of the unluckiest dismissals in IPL history, Sai Sudharsan’s wicket in IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 will surely be at the top.After Royal Challengers Bengaluru piled up a mammoth 254/5 against Gujarat Titans at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday, there was huge pressure on openers GT Sudharsan and Shubman Gill to deliver a flying start.Sudharsan started aggressively and smashed two boundaries in the opening off the bowling of Jacob Duffy. He followed it up with another boundary as Duffy returned for the second match.But then came a bizarre moment that completely changed the mood.Duffy played a short shot and Sudharsan stayed behind before attempting a chop towards point. However, as he completed the stroke, the bat slipped from his hands, flew behind him and bounced back onto the stumps.Sudharsan was initially unaware of what had happened and had already started running. But when he turned around and saw that the stumps were disturbed, the GT opener was stunned.The left-hander closed his eyes in frustration and disbelief before slowly walking back to the pavilion after one of the most unfortunate dismissals in IPL playoff history.WATCH: Sudharsan became only the second batsman to be dismissed in the IPL play-offs/knockouts after Kusal Mendis, who suffered a similar dismissal for Gujarat Titans against Mumbai Indians in New Chandigarh last year.RCB strengthened their grip on the contest soon after when Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed skipper GT Gill cheaply in the next over, leaving Gujarat Titans reeling in a massive chase.Earlier, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar produced a sensational unbeaten 93 off just 33 balls to propel Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a record 254/5.Patidar saved his best for the knockout clash, hammering five fours and nine massive sixes to completely level the GT bowling attack.The RCB skipper was particularly cruel on Kulwant Khejroliya, taking 28 runs for one during his breathtaking onslaught.Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya were also valuable contributors with 43 runs each.