“It should be like that” - R Sai Kishore responds to his on-field altercation with Hardik Pandya

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya and Gujarat Titans bowling all-rounder R Sai Kishore were seen in a heated altercation on the field while Mumbai Indians were chasing the target in the ninth match of the IPL 2025 season at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, March 29.

Both players got involved in an intense staredown as the on-field umpire intervened between them to cut off the altercation. Eventually, Pandya replied with a swear word to send Sai back to his bowling mark.

Nevertheless, Hardik and Sai were seen hugging after the game concluded. Sai stated that there was nothing wrong with them as they were competitive on the field, and that’s how he wants the game to be. 

“He’s (Pandya) a good friend of mine. Inside the field it should be like that. Inside the field, anybody is an opponent, but we don’t take things personally. We are good competitors, that’s how I think the game should be,” Sai Kishore told the broadcasters after GT’s 36-run win over MI.

“I wasn’t getting as much purchase today, so had to bowl defensively and had to do a job for the team. The pitch played better than it looked," he added.

While Gujarat Titans posted 196 runs in 20 overs, Mumbai Indians failed to create an impact in the second half of the chase, scoring 160/6 in 20 overs to end the game with a 36-run defeat. Suryakumar Yadav was the top-scorer for MI with 48 runs off 28 balls.

“He (Suryakumar) played really well. He swept all my good length balls. When someone hits a good shot, you have to credit the batter. I did things which I felt instinctively at that time and Shubman was also there to tell me about Surya because he’s seen him in the Indian nets regularly. Just tried to go with my instincts and played for the team," he added.

Sai Kishore bowled four overs, conceding 37 runs and scalping the wicket of Robin Minz against the Mumbai Indians.

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