Summary of this article
Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan retired hurt after being struck on the elbow by Kartik Tyagi during the chase against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens
He tried to continue running but collapsed in pain and left the field after receiving treatment
The setback hits Gujarat Titans hard in their chase of 248, with Sudharsan being their leading run-scorer this season
Gujarat Titans opener B. Sai Sudharsan suffered an injury scare after retiring hurt during their chase of 248 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Saturday (May 16) in IPL 2026.
Sudharsan, who had raced to 23 off just 13 balls, was struck on his left elbow by a sharp delivery from Kartik Tyagi on the final ball of the third over.
The southpaw initially tried to continue and even completed a run despite going down in pain, but soon collapsed grimacing, dropping his bat as discomfort took hold.
He immediately removed his gloves and held his elbow as the Gujarat Titans physio rushed in with an ice pack before he eventually walked off retired hurt.
At the time of the incident, Gujarat Titans were in a strong position at 42/0 after three overs in their chase in the must-win encounter.
The blow comes as a major concern for Gujarat Titans, who have been one of the standout sides of the season. They currently sit second on the points table with 12 matches played, eight wins, four defeats, 16 points, and a net run rate of +0.551.
Despite the setback, Sudharsan still moved to the top of the Orange Cap standings. At the time of writing, he had 524 runs from 13 matches, overtaking Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaasen (508), underlining his importance as Gujarat Titans’ leading batter in IPL 2026.
Pathirana Leaves Field With Hamstring Issue
Sudharsan wasn't the only player to be afflicted with an injury during the match. Yorker specialist Matheesha Pathirana could only deliver eight balls in his debut appearance for KKR before he left the ground with a hamstring niggle.
Pathirana was bought by the Knight Riders for a whopping INR 18 crore and was expected to strengthen their death-overs bowling. But a calf injury to the Sri Lanka pacer delayed his arrival, and he had to pass fitness tests by his home board to get the requisite no-objection certificate.
He joined KKR after they had played four games in IPL 2026, and stayed on the bench up till Saturday, Kolkata's 12th match of the campaign. But his much-awaited maiden outing for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side suffered a premature end.
One delivery into his second over, Pathirana experienced discomfort in his hamstring and called for the team physio. After some treatment, the seamer attempted another delivery, but it did not come out too well. After speaking with Rahane, Pathirana walked off in pain.
