Sai Sudharsan walked off the pitch in pain during the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Gujarat Titans (GT) match at Eden Gardens. The southpaw opener looked in golden touch as Gujarat attempted to chase 248 in the 60th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Gujarat needed impetus from the get-go. Although he wasn’t batting with the required strike rate of 206.66. Sudharsan was still striking above his career and season numbers, at 191.66. He took a liking to Kartik Tyagi’s wavered bowling. The 25-year-old was bowling fast, but his control wasn’t great.
Sai Sudharsan suffers elbow injury
After getting hit for 14 on his first 3 balls, Tyagi found his line. He tried to bowl just outside the off stump and into Sudharsan’s hip. He missed both balls. On the last ball of the 3rd over, Tyagi bowled another back-of-the-length ball on the leg stump that Sudharsan tried to pull by crouching down. He got into a tangle and hurried by the pace, which resulted in the ball hitting his left elbow.
Sudharsan lost control of his bat as he winced in pain. The ball went towards the leg side as he took the single. He threw his glove away while running and lay down on the ground after completing the single. The physio came out, and it was decided that Sudharsan needs to walk off.
The injury looked very serious, with Sudharsan unable to even speak as the physio tried to look at his elbow. It casts serious doubt over his participation in the remainder of the IPL 2026 season, with Gujarat in contention to qualify for the playoffs. But it could be a double blow.
You can’t forget that in 3 days, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce India’s squad for the one-off Test match against Afghanistan. Sudharsan was India’s number three in the last red-ball match they played against South Africa in Guwahati. Although his performance, 302 runs at 27.45 in 6 matches, hasn’t been great, he did register his highest score, 87, in the last home summer against the West Indies.
Reports have suggested that selectors are keen to try Devdutt Padikkal at number three. But that doesn’t mean that he’ll be dropped. It was likely that Sudharsan would be in the squad for the India vs Afghanistan Test, but this injury could rule him out of the selection discussions.
