Sai Kishore breaks silence on three-match IPL 2026 campaign

Sai Kishore has opened up for the first time about why he featured in only three matches for Gujarat Titans during IPL 2026, admitting that he rushed his comeback from finger surgery and returned to competitive cricket before regaining full rhythm.

The left-arm spinner had enjoyed one of the best phases of his career in 2025, finishing IPL 2025 with 19 wickets to become one of Gujarat Titans' key bowlers. But IPL 2026 turned out very differently — Sai Kishore played only three matches, bowled in just two of them and picked up a solitary wicket as GT went all the way to the final.

Injury that started it all

The setback began months before the IPL. Sai Kishore injured the ring finger of his bowling hand during a club match in Chennai in August 2025. The injury required minor surgery, but he was back in action on November 1, turning out for Tamil Nadu against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy.

Looking back, the spinner conceded he returned to the field too early.

"I think on hindsight when I reflect, more than anything, I should have given myself more time to come back to cricket from my surgery," Sai Kishore tells Cricbuzz. "In the domestic season, especially till the end of Vijay Hazare, I was still getting to my full fitness. I think I shouldn't have done it at that time."

Sai Kishore admitted that returning before reaching full fitness affected his performances, and the decision came from the natural desire of a cricketer to get back on the field as quickly as possible.

"But we always get such understandings on hindsight. When we get injured, we want to play again, prove our form and get selected for everything. This is how our mind works. On hindsight, I should have come back to play only after getting my best rhythm."

Falling down the pecking order

While Sai Kishore struggled to regain his best, Rajasthan spinner Manav Suthar impressed during the same period and moved ahead of him in Gujarat Titans' plans. Suthar also went on to play Test cricket for India.

Sai Kishore, who made his India debut at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, has not played for the national team since 2023. A regular member of the Gujarat Titans squad until recently, IPL 2026 saw him slide down the pecking order as he battled to rediscover his rhythm following the premature return.