Big blow to GT, Sai Sudharsan walks off the field in pain in middle of 248-run chase against KKR

Gujarat Titans opener B. Sai Sudharsan was forced to retire hurt after suffering a painful blow to his elbow during the third over of the team's high-stakes chase against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 16. The left-handed batter was struck by a sharp, rising delivery from KKR pacer Kartik Tyagi. Although he attempted to complete a run immediately after the impact, the intense pain caused him to collapse to the ground by the time he reached the non-striker’s end, leaving the field shortly after receiving on-field medical attention.

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Sai Sudharsan gets retired hurt after elbow injury

The incident occurred on the final ball of the third over. Having already raced to 23 runs in the innings, Sudharsan faced a delivery that was banged in short of a length. The southpaw went a bit too early into the shot, resulting in the ball thudding heavily against his left elbow. Although the impact forced him to the pitch and caused him to lose his bat, he managed to get back up to complete the run before going down again, grimacing in intense pain.

He immediately removed his gloves to hold his injured left elbow as the Gujarat Titans physio rushed onto the field to apply an ice pack. Unable to continue at that moment, he finally walked off the ground to retire hurt. Despite the setback, the Gujarat Titans—who currently sit second in the standings—got off to a flying start, reaching 42 for no loss at the end of those three overs.

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Sudharsan returns to bat, but to see GT losing

In a dramatic turn of events, Sudharsan returned to the crease in the 17th over following the dismissal of skipper Shubman Gill. The Gujarat Titans captain was brilliantly caught for a spectacular 85 off just 49 balls, leaving the team's score at 177 for 2. Upon his return to the middle, Sudharsan showed absolutely no signs of lingering discomfort, immediately pulling Kartik Tyagi for a massive six to signal his readiness to fight on.

However, despite Sudharsan's bravado, GT couldn't win the match as they were restricted to 218/4, which handed KKR a 29-run win to remain in playoff contention.