Cricket is a game of incredible skill, but during Friday’s IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 clash between the Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), it was absolute, unadulterated bad luck that stole the show.
For the second consecutive playoff match, GT’s star opener Sai Sudharsan was sent walking back to the dugout via a bizarre hit-wicket dismissal. The absolute absurdity of watching the exact same freak accident happen back-to-back left his captain, Shubman Gill, so utterly devastated that he literally dropped to his haunches and collapsed onto the ground in pure frustration.
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TWO HIT WICKETS IN TWO INNINGS FOR SAI SUDHARSAN. pic.twitter.com/YmHAk61urd
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 29, 2026
Despite the jaw-dropping moment, Gujarat Titans channeled the chaos perfectly, pulling off a phenomenal seven-wicket victory to secure their ticket to Sunday’s grand finale against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Also Read | IPL 2026 Final: Date, Time, Venue, Opponents, Live Streaming Details
How Lightning Struck Twice
Sudharsan was in the middle of an absolute masterclass. Chasing a daunting target of 215 at Mullanpur, he and Gill had utterly humiliated the Rajasthan bowling attack, stitching together a historic 167-run opening stand off just 77 balls.
Sudharsan had raced to a phenomenal 58 off 32 deliveries and looked prime to coast to a 10-wicket victory. Then, the 13th over arrived:
RR pacer Brijesh Sharma bowled a low full-toss angling well outside the off-stump. Sudharsan opened the face of his blade beautifully, slicing the ball behind square on the off-side for what initially looked like a guaranteed boundary. As he completed his follow-through, the bat completely slipped out of his sweaty palms. It flew backwards through the air and crashed directly into his own stumps, dislodging the bails.
The stadium fell into a stunned silence. Just three days prior in Qualifier 1 against RCB, Sudharsan had been dismissed in identical fashion when his bat slipped and rolled into the woodwork. By repeating the mistake on Friday, he became the first batter in IPL history to be dismissed hit-wicket in consecutive innings. On-air commentator Ravi Shastri famously quipped: “Where is the Fevicol? Where is the glue?”
Addressing the media with a smile after anchoring GT’s highest-ever successful franchise chase, Gill saw the funny side of the viral incident:
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. No one’s seen anything like that – two matches, back-to-back in a row, the way he got out. I saw some video on social media suggesting we tape his hands to the handle. Honestly, I think I’m going to have to do exactly that in the final match!”
