He was the leading wicket-taker in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, claiming 53 wickets in just nine matches.
Gujarat Titans spinner Sai Kishore has been one of the best left-arm spinners in domestic cricket, but he hasn’t made a big impact in the IPL yet due to a lack of consistent opportunities.
After being released by the Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, the left-arm spinner was bought back by the franchise at the auction for INR 2 crore.
Sai Kishore was first signed by CSK in 2020 auction for INR 20 lakh after an impressive 2018-19 Ranji Trophy season, where he took 22 wickets in six matches. However, he didn’t get a chance to play any match for CSK. In the 2022 mega auction, Gujarat Titans bought him for INR 3 crore. He played only five matches that season, picking up six wickets. Unfortunately, an injury kept him out of the 2023 IPL season.
In the 2024 season, Sai returned after a stellar domestic run, where he was the leading wicket-taker in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, claiming 53 wickets in just nine matches. However, he played only five IPL games in 2024, where he took seven wickets. He has played just 10 matches in his IPL career so far and has taken 13 wickets. Sai should get to play more in the IPL because of his talent and skill.
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After an outstanding Ranji Trophy season in 2023-24, Sai Kishore’s performances in domestic cricket during the 2024-25 season have been decent. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he has taken 11 wickets in three matches, including a four-wicket haul against Chandigarh that helped Tamil Nadu secure a win.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he grabbed 7 wickets in 6 matches at an economy rate of 4.91. Earlier, in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), a T20 tournament, he picked up 9 wickets from 7 matches at an economy rate of 7.52.
While his wicket tally hasn’t been very high, his ability to maintain a good economy, especially in T20 format, remains a key strength.
As far as the Gujarat Titans squad for IPL 2025 is concerned, they have enough talented players in the spin department: Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, Manav Suthar, and Jayant Yadav. Of them, likely key spinners will be Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, and Sai Kishore.
But, Rashid and Washington might get more opportunities than Sai because they have more IPL experience and can also contribute with the bat when needed.
However, Sai Kishore is a decent spinner who must be given a chance, especially where the pitch will favour spinners. Also with the impact rule in IPL, it can work in his favour to get more opportunities.
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