I shouldn't have done it': Sai Kishore breaks silence on playing just three IPL 2026 games

Sai Kishore has opened up for the first time about why he featured in only three matches for Gujarat Titans during IPL 2026, saying 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. He finished IPL 2025 with 19 wickets, becoming one of GT's key bowlers. But IPL 2026 turned out very differently. Sai Kishore played only three matches, bowled in just two of them and picked up one wicket as Gujarat Titans reached the final. The setback, however, had begun 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 returned to action on November 1, playing for Tamil Nadu against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy. The spinner, who made his India debut at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, has not played for the national team since 2023. While he had become a regular member of Gujarat Titans' squad, IPL 2026 saw him fall down the pecking order. Looking back, Sai Kishore admitted he came back 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." He said returning before reaching full fitness affected his performances. During the same period, Rajasthan spinner Manav Suthar impressed and moved ahead of Sai Kishore in Gujarat Titans' plans. Suthar also went on to play Test cricket for India. Sai Kishore admitted the decision to return early came from the desire 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."

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