Gujarat Titans’ (GT) left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore has addressed his on-field exchange with Hardik Pandya during the IPL 2025 match against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday, March 29, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The 28-year-old downplayed the incident, describing it as a harmless interaction.
The confrontation took place in the 15th over of the innings, which was also Sai Kishore’s final over. As Pandya stepped down the pitch to defend a length delivery, the spinner quickly collected the ball and gave the MI skipper a sharp look, leading to a brief verbal exchange between the two.
In a post-match interview with the host broadcaster, the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer shared his thoughts on the game.
“He is a very good friend of mine, inside the field, it should be like that. Anyone is an opponent but we do not take anything personally.”
He also reflected on his battle with Suryakumar Yadav, acknowledging that the right-handed batter performed well despite the challenging conditions.
“I felt I was not getting as much purchase. Had to play for the team, had to bowl defensively, mixed it up a little bit. Felt it played better than what it looked. He (Suryakumar) played really well, he swept all my good length balls. When someone plays a good shot, you have to give credit to him. I did some things instinctively, Gill also told me, having played with him.”
Hardik Pandya falters with the bat as Mumbai Indians suffer their second loss in IPL 2025
Hardik Pandya was Mumbai Indians’ best bowler, returning figures of 4-0-29-2. However, with the bat, he managed only 11 off 17 balls, including a boundary. The 31-year-old came in at 108/4, with MI needing 89 from the final seven overs.
Although Suryakumar Yadav was well set at the other end, Gujarat Titans’ disciplined bowling restricted him, and he eventually departed for 48. Posting 196/8, the hosts secured a 36-run victory to open their account, while Mumbai suffered their second defeat. Prasidh Krishna was named Player of the Match for his figures of 4-0-18-2.
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