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Time of India

Hit wicket drama! Kusal Mendis hits own stumps in IPL 2025 eliminator; fans question GT loyalty, say 'check his bank account'

Heading into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Playoffs, both Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Titans (GT) faced key absences—especially GT, who were without their star batter Jos Buttler. The English wicketkeeper-batter, who scored over 500 runs during the league stage, had to leave for national duties. In his place, Sri Lankan cricketer Kusal Mendis joined the squad, leaving the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 to play as GT's replacement. Given a chance in the Eliminator at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, things didn't go Mendis's way from the start. After multiple misfields and dropping catches of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, he added to his woes by making a costly mistake with the bat—getting out hit wicket after stepping onto his own stumps. Fans not trusting Kusal Mendis's loyalty Soon after his bizarre dismissal, many on social media—especially on X (formerly known as Twitter)—began questioning Kusal Mendis's loyalty to GT. Some even joked that his bank accounts should be checked to see if he received anything "extra" from the MI owners. These comments come amid ongoing chatter about alleged bias, with fans accusing umpires of being influenced by MI and making questionable decisions in their favour. One said, "Is Kusal Mendis really playing for GT I doubt." Is Kusal Mendis really playing for GT I doubt 🧐 #GTvsMI Another said, "Somebody check bank account of Kusal Mendis.. it's getting too obvious now." Somebody check bank account of kusal mendis.. it's getting too obvious now 😭 One wrote, "It seems Kusal Mendis was not just paid by GT for the Playoffs but also the Ambanis." It seems Kusal Mendis was not just paid by GT for the Playoffs but also the Ambanis ☠️ Another wrote, "Did Mahela Jaywardena asked for a favour from Kusal Mendis." Did Mahela Jaywardena asked for a favour from Kusal Mendis GT vs MI: Teams Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Raj Bawa, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Richard GleesonImpact Subs: Krishnan Shrijith, Raghu Sharma, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley. Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Kusal Mendis(w), Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh KrishnaImpact Subs: Sherfane Rutherford, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan.