“I need some gripping technique”: Sai Sudharsan’s cheerful response after another maddening dismissal

Sai Sudharsan’s response after back-to-back wicket dismissals (Image: X) Sai Sudharsan created an unwanted and bizarre piece of IPL history by becoming the first batsman to be dismissed in back-to-back matches. The Gujarat Titans opener suffered two almost identical dismissals during the IPL 2026 playoffs, first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Qualifier 1 and then against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2.In Qualifier 1 against RCB, GT were chasing a record target of 255 when Sudharsan’s bat slipped out of his hands and crashed into the stumps while trying to run away, dismissing him for 14. The madman’s dismissal triggered a dramatic top-order collapse as GT slumped to 51/5.Just three days later, history repeated itself in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals. Chasing 215 in Mullanpur, Sudharsan was in great touch, racing to 58 from just 32 balls. However, after cutting a Brijesh Sharma boundary shot, his bat again slipped out of his hands during the delivery and hit the stumps, resulting in another extraordinary hit-wicket dismissal.Despite the bizarre setback, Gujarat Titans secured a comfortable seven-wicket win to book their place in the final of IPL 2026. After the match, Sudharsan took the unusual incidents in good spirits and joked that he might have to work on his grip technique before the summit clash in Ahmedabad.“I think I should try some things. Now I’m going to try some grip technology and just hit a few balls and see how it goes. Seriously. In the last game it just bounced a few times and hit the stumps. But in this game I wanted it to hit straight, I think,” Sudharsan said during the post-match presentation.Gujarat Titans booked their place in the IPL 2026 final with a dominant 7-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Mullanpur. RR posted 214/6, powered by a brilliant 96 off 47 balls from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a late cameo from Donovan Ferreira.In response, GT skipper Shubman Gill led from the front with a stunning 104 off 53 balls while Sai Sudharsan chipped in with 58 off 32. Their massive opening partnership put GT firmly in control as they chased down the target in just 18.4 overs to finish at 219/3.