Making his Indian Premier League debut, Sri Lankan batter Kusal Mendis suffered a bizarre and unfortunate dismissal -- hit-wicket -- during Gujarat Titans바카라™ high-stakes IPL 2025 Eliminator clash against Mumbai Indians at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur.
In the 7th over of Gujarat바카라™s chase of a daunting 229. Mendis, looking sharp and positive, tried to work Mitchell Santner off the back foot. However, he misjudged the depth of his crease and, in the process of shifting his weight, lost balance and knocked over the stumps with his foot.
Mendis who made his IPL debut as a replacement for Jos Buttler, who returned to England to fulfill national duties, was dismissed for a promising 20 off just 10 balls with GT at 67/2 in 6.2 overs.
What made the moment more important was that it came in his very first IPL appearance. Earlier in the match, he had dropped a crucial catch of MI opener Rit Sharma, a costly error as the 'Hitman' went on to smash 81 runs, anchoring Mumbai바카라™s innings with authority.
Meanwhile, the hit wicket remains a rare sight in the Indian Premier League. Mendis became only the third batter to be dismissed hit-wicket in the 2025 season. The two previous were:
Abhinav Manohar (SRH) vs Mumbai Indians
Krunal Pandya (RCB) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik panMumbai Indians captain Hardik pandya own the toss and opted to bat first.
Powered by Rohit Sharma and Jonny Bairstow's strong start and later on Pandya's late fireworks MI managed to post a massive total of 228/5 (20).
Playing XIs:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard Gleeson
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Kusal Mendis(w), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishnadya
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