NEW DELHI: Drama galore unfolded during the IPL 2025 clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad — and it all happened in a single delivery. The moment came in the third over of the match, when Ishan Kishan appeared to get a faint tickle down the leg side off Deepak Chahar’s delivery. The on-field umpire initially signaled it as a wide. However, Kishan didn’t wait for the official decision. Acknowledging what he believed to be an edge, he walked off on his own — a gesture that took everyone by surprise. Adding another twist, when Mumbai Indians players made a polite appeal for a catch, the umpire went on to raise his finger and officially gave Kishan out. But the drama didn’t end there. Replays showed no spike on the Snicko meter, casting doubt on whether there was any contact between bat and ball at all. Regardless, Kishan was dismissed for just 1 run, and Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered an early blow — in the most theatrical fashion possible.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Mumbai Indians have brought in Vignesh Puthur in place of Ashwani Kumar, while home team skipper Pat Cummins too made one change to his playing XI by bringing in Jaydev Unadkat in place of Mohammed Shami, who is among their impact substitutes. Players of both the teams wore black armbands to pay respect to the victims of the terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday. "I would like to firstly pass my condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack. We as a team and a franchise condemn any such attacks," said Pandya. "It has been heartbreaking for us as well, our thoughts are with the victims and their families," said SRH skipper Cummins.
With the dismissal, Ishan Kishan's poor run in the ongoing IPL 2025 continued. In the last seven innings, he managed just 33 runs at an average of 5.5. A bizarre incident unfolded at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday when Sunrisers batter Ishan Kishan walked off the field, showing the 'spirit of cricket' amid a half-hearted appeal from Mumbai Indians, which was even applauded by his opposition, only to realize later that he was not exactly out. The incident happened on the first ball of the third over when Deepak Chahar bowled a tame length delivery down the leg side against Ishan. The wicketkeeper collected the ball and was about to just go through with business when the umpire signaled it as wide, but then quickly changed his decision by raising the finger after seeing Ishan walk off. Strangely, neither Chahar nor captain Hardik Pandya was sure about the dismissal. In fact, the pacer was rather on his way back to his mark. As he made his way back to the dugout, Ishan had a wry smile on his face. Mumbai players quickly ran up to him to pat him on the back for his 'spirit of cricket' act. But that was not where the drama ended. Later, a replay showed nothing on the snicko, leaving Ishan cursing himself in the dressing room.
Sunrisers Hyderabad incurred a horrible start to their game against Mumbai. They lost four wickets for just 24 runs in the powerplay, marking the first time in 12 years that Sunrisers Hyderabad lost their first four wickets for less than 20 runs in an IPL game. Chahar was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai with the new ball, picking two wickets for just 12 runs. He was bowled out by Hardik by the seventh over in the innings. Sunrisers currently stand ninth in the points table with just two wins this season, only separated by net run rate from bottom-placed Chennai Super Kings, who have also managed four points thus far.
Ishan Kishan experienced a roller-coaster of emotions on Wednesday after being dismissed for just 1 in SunRisers Hyderabad's home match against his former franchise, Mumbai Indians. Kishan walked off without even waiting for the umpire's call, appearing to edge a delivery down the leg side to the wicketkeeper in the third over of the IPL 2025 game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. It was a bizarre dismissal. The Mumbai Indians players, including bowler Deepak Chahar, did not appeal with any conviction after Ishan seemed cramped for room by the leg-side delivery. Nonetheless, Ishan began walking even as umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal hesitated. Upon seeing the batter walk, Jayaraman raised his finger to confirm the decision. As Ishan made his way back to the pavilion, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya gave him a pat on the back, appreciating his sportsmanship and fair play. Even non-striker Abhishek Sharma appeared unsure of the dismissal, and SunRisers did not opt for a review. However, replays later revealed that the ball had not made contact with Ishan's bat or gloves and it had merely gone past him into the keeper's gloves. The SunRisers Hyderabad dugout looked visibly dejected after the replay, having lost a key wicket for just a single run.
At the time of Kishan's dismissal, SRH was in deep trouble at 13/3 after 4 overs. Trent Boult picked up the key wickets of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, leaving Hyderabad's chase in tatters. The unfortunate dismissal extended Ishan Kishan's poor run in IPL 2025. He started the season with a thundering century against the Rajasthan Royals, but he has managed just 33 runs in the next seven innings at just 5.5, with a strike rate of 86.84. SunRisers Hyderabad have struggled to replicate their batting dominance from the 2024 season, slumping to five defeats in their first seven matches of the 2025 campaign. This incident has sparked broader debates on umpiring protocols and the responsibility of players to take reviews when in doubt. While it was a refreshing display of self-honesty from Kishan, the situation also highlights the importance of using the Decision Review System (DRS), especially when outcomes can impact team momentum in a high-stakes tournament like the IPL.
As the match progressed, the atmosphere remained tense and charged. Players, match officials, and umpires donned black armbands to pay their condolences to the victims of the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam. "Feels good (on the applause). I would like to firstly pass my condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack. We as a team and a franchise condemn any such attacks. We'll bowl first tonight. Looks like a good track, just one change for us - Vignesh comes in for Ashwani. We need to just execute our plans and take the game as simply as possible," Hardik said at the toss. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins commented, "One change for us - Jaydev comes in, Shami goes out to the impact player list. (On playing on this surface) It is a cause for optimism, we know this surface and ground really well. We've played some really good cricket this year. (On the Pahalgam terror attack) It has been heartbreaking for us as well, our thoughts are with the victims and their families."
As the IPL 2025 season continues, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see how both teams recover from this incident and what it means for their campaigns moving forward. The Ishan Kishan dismissal may well go down as one of the most talked-about moments of the season, illustrating the fine line between sportsmanship and the harsh realities of competitive cricket.
