Sai Kishore issues an official statement after Hardik Pandya spat

A fiery staring battle between Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya and Gujarat Titans’ star bowler R Sai Kishore—both were once teammates—grabbed all the spotlight during the 9th match of the ongoing IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, March 29.

The heated moment saw emotions flare as Hardik Pandya lost his cool and lashed out at Sai Kishore during Gujarat Titans’ 36-run win over Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2025 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Hardik Pandya loses cool in fierce duel with Sai Kishore

The drama unfolded in the 15th over of Mumbai Indians' chase when Sai Kishore delivered three consecutive dot balls to Hardik. Frustration was written all over Pandya’s face as Sai Kishore locked eyes with him in a fierce death stare. Hardik couldn’t hold back and stormed towards the GT spinner, visibly mouthing an expletive that left no room for doubt.

GAME 🔛

Hardik Pandya ⚔ Sai Kishore - teammates then, rivals now! 👀🔥

Watch the LIVE action ➡ https://t.co/VU1zRx9cWp #IPLonJioStar 👉 #GTvMI | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/2p1SMHQdqc

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 29, 2025

Read Also: "Need to take responsibility": Hardik Pandya’s strong message to Rohit Sharma after loss to GT

However, the stump mic didn’t pick up the exact words, but the movement of his lips made it clear that Pandya had shouted "F*** off" in the heat of the moment. To which, Sai responded with a piercing glare of his own. The two players locked in a fierce staredown at the center of the pitch.

With neither willing to back down, the situation quickly escalated, prompting the umpires to step in and separate the two before things got even more heated. However, after the IPL 2025 clash, Hardik and Sai put an end to the matter during the post-match handshake, sharing a hug and laughing off the incident.

Hardik Pandya hugging Sai Kishore after the match ♥️ pic.twitter.com/A7PhV0IdPv

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 29, 2025

He’s a good friend of mine: Sai Kishore on Hardik Pandya

Even the GT spinner played down the incident during the post-match presentation, calling Hardik a "good friend." After the GT vs MI clash in Ahmedabad, the commentator Ian Bishop interviewed Sai for the host broadcaster, and he asked, "No love lost with Hardik?"

And the star spinner said in his response, “He’s 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.”

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Sai bowled well, picking up one wicket while giving away 37 runs in his four overs. During his spell, the GT spinner did a great job by keeping Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma from scoring big during the middle overs, putting a lot of pressure on the Mumbai Indians' middle and lower order.

I wasn’t getting as much purchase today: Sai Kishore on his performance

Speaking about his bowling show, the Gujarat Titans’ star bowler said, “I wasn’t getting as much purchase today, so I had to bowl defensively and had to do a job for the team. The pitch played better than it looked. Suryakumar Yadav played well; he swept all my good-length balls. If someone plays a good shot, you have to credit the batter.”

He signed off by saying, “I did things that felt instinctive and have to credit Shubman as well; he kept advising me on what to bowl to Surya since he’s seen him in the Indian nets. Looking forward to this season, I've been very honest with myself and worked very hard. Have watched a lot of games and worked on a lot of things for this season, so let’s hope this is a wonderful season.”