[WATCH] IPL 2025: Kusal Mendis becomes first player to be dismissed hit wicket in IPL playoffs

Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis, who was included in Gujarat Titans' playing XI as a replacement player in the Eliminator clash against Mumbai Indians, registered his name in the tournament’s history books on his debut as he became the first player in IPL Playoffs history to be dismissed hit wicket.

Brought in as a replacement for Jos Buttler, Mendis joined the team for the final stages of the IPL 2025. In his maiden outing, the right-handed batter looked in good touch, smashing 20 off just 10 balls with a four and two sixes. Alongside B Sai Sudharsan, who was continuing his solid form, Mendis helped GT recover after the early loss of Shubman Gill to Trent Boult in the very first over as GT were chasing the 229-run target set by Mumbai.

However, in the seventh over of the chase, while facing Mitchell Santner, Mendis tried to pull a length ball from the left-arm spinner but lost control of his feet. As he moved back in the process, his back foot slipped and hit the stumps. Notably, it was not only Santner’s fifth time getting rid of Mendis in T20s.

Watch video of Mendis' hit-wicket here

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10:27 PM · May 30, 2025

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Earlier in the game, Mumbai Indians had posted a total of 228 for 5, making it the second-highest score in IPL Playoffs history. MI’s new opening pair of Jonny Bairstow and Rohit Sharma stitched an important 84-run stand. Bairstow, brought in for Ryan Rickelton, hammered 47 off just 22 deliveries, while Rohit, after two early lifelines, ended up smashing an astonishing 81 off 50.

The middle order of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya contributed with crucial cameos. MI smashed 17 sixes in the innings, the joint third-most in any match this season. Hardik’s late heroics, including three sixes off Gerald Coetzee in the final over, pushed MI to the 225 mark.

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Chasing 229, GT began well, despite losing their skipper in the first over. Mendis and Sudharsan tried to counterattack, taking GT to 67/1 in 6.2 overs. Sudharsan brought up his half-century off 28 balls. But the stumper-batter's dismissal once again broke the momentum, putting the side on the back foot. After 11 overs, GT's scorecard read 119/2, with 110 runs required in 54 balls.