The Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed a fiery exchange between former Gujarat Titans (GT) teammates Hardik Pandya and R Sai Kishore during the match between GT and Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday (March 29). The dramatic face-off took place in the 15th over of MI’s chase when tensions were already running high.

As MI struggled under pressure from GT’s bowlers, Sai Kishore delivered a sharp ball to MI skipper Hardik Pandya, who defended it. Kishore, looking to apply further pressure, picked up the ball and locked eyes with Pandya in an intense stare-down. What followed was an exchange of heated words as Pandya apparently retaliated with a few sharp comments. Sai Kishore was quick to respond, making the on-field umpires to step in and diffuse the situation.

However, during the post-match handshake, the tension melted away as the two players shared a hug and a laugh, brushing off the heated exchange as just another fiery moment on the field.

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After the match, Sai Kishore downplayed the confrontation, and said that it was all in the spirit of competitive cricket. “He (Hardik) is a good friend of mine. Inside the field, it should be like that, but we don’t take things personally,” the GT spinner clarified.

Kishore, who finished with bowling figures of 1 for 37 in his four-over spell, admitted that he had to adapt his approach. “I wasn’t getting as much purchase today, so I had to bowl defensively and do a job for the team. The pitch played better than it looked,” he said.

Despite Pandya’s efforts, MI fell short by 36 runs in their chase, with Suryakumar Yadav emerging as their top scorer with 48 off 28 balls.