Who said what - top 5 expert reactions on Ishan Kishan absurdly walking off in SRH vs MI IPL 2025 match ft. Virender Sehwag

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan endured another poor outing with the bat against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Hyderabad on April 23. However, beyond his low score, his dismissal mode had fans and experts baffled and dumbfounded.

Walking into bat with SRH a wicket down in 1.2 overs, Kishan got off the mark after three deliveries. However, in his fourth ball, the southpaw missed a harmless leg-side delivery from MI pacer Deepak Chahar.

Yet, for some reason, Kishan started walking off, assuming he had gotten a slight tickle off his bat. The bigger surprise was the lack of an appeal from the MI players and no signal from the umpire.

To worsen things, replays later suggested that Kishan did not get the slightest edge on the ball, making his decision to walk off even more jarring.

Several former players reacted to Kishan's strange dismissal with strong opinions. Here, we look at the top five expert reactions to the same.

# 1 Virender Sehwag

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag slammed Ishan Kishan for walking off without the umpire's verdict. Sehwag called it a brain-fade moment from SRH's no.3 in his post-match analysis on Cricbuzz.

"Many times, the mind fails to work at that moment. It was brain fade. Stop at least and wait for the umpire to make his decision. He is also charging some amount of money for his job. Let him do his work. I could not understand this honesty. Had it been an edge, it would have been understandable because that would be in the spirit of the game. But it was neither out, the umpire was unsure, and you started walking off all of a sudden," he said (Via Hindustan Times).

Kishan's dismissal for one from four deliveries sank SRH to 9/2 in the third over. It was also the fifth single-digit score in his last six completed innings.

# 2 Aakash Chopra

Another former Indian opener, Aakash Chopra, felt the umpire was faultless in the Ishan Kishan dismissal fiasco. Chopra believes the umpire must have raised the finger despite being indecisive only after seeing the batter walk.

Talking about the same on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:

"There were a lot of discussions about whether it was out or not. If you are wondering what happened, Ishan Kishan actually walked. When the umpire saw him walking, he started raising his finger, but then he realized that no one was appealing. Then a token appeal was made. As per the rule, the umpire doesn't give it out unless you appeal."

He added:

"However, if the batter starts walking himself, then you have to say he must be out. Then we saw a flat line on DRS. If time is running bad, it should be like this. You felt you edged the ball. The umpire also felt you edged the ball because you started walking. No one heard anything. Only you felt it and walked. So it wasn't the umpire's mistake."

Kishan's early dismissal continued his poor form, with only 33 runs in his last seven outings at an average of 5.50.

# 3 Nick Knight

Former England batter Nick Knight feels Kishan's decision to walk off left the umpire dumbfounded. He said such chaotic instances could be avoided if the batters allowed the umpire to decide at all times.

"Bizarre, totally bizarre. It flummoxed the umpire. The umpire was going to give it not out and then suddenly sees it and gives it out. Then Ishan walks back and everything gets confusing. Simple solution, let the umpires make the decision," said Knight on ESPN Cricinfo (0:58).

Kishan's dismissal led to an SRH collapse that saw them reeling at 13/4 in the fifth over at one stage. However, Heinrich Klassen led an excellent recovery with a 44-ball 71 to help SRH post a relatively competitive 143/8 in 20 overs.

# 4 Varun Aaron

Former Indian pacer Varun Aaron believes Ishan Kishan should have taken a review once he saw that the umpire was unsure and the MI players were not appealing. Aaron also had an interesting observation in defense of Kishan, stating a possible Snickometer error.

"He (Kishan) obviously felt that he nicked the ball. Otherwise, no batter is going to walk off. But when the umpire was hesitant and there were no real appeals from the fielders or the bowler, he should have just reviewed it. I don't know why he didn't review it and then he was ruing what had transpired which is quite sad because of poor recent form," said Aaron [0:15].

He added:

"But just to give him the benefit of the doubt, Snicko has failed us sometimes. This could be that one instance where he is ending up looking really bad but he might have just hit it."

Kishan was one of several SRH players who failed in the MI clash, resulting in the side's crushing seven-wicket defeat.

# 5 Manoj Tiwary

Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary was baffled by Ishan Kishan's decision to walk off in the SRH-MI clash. Tiwary hoped to hear Kishan clear the air around the decision by himself.

Tiwary posted on his X handle:

"Ishan kishan’s dismissal today against Mumbai Indian ?? I’m waiting to hear from Ishan himself, what was he thinking at that time ?? Baffling."

Kishan's dismissal was one of many issues for SRH on a forgettable night where they suffered a sixth defeat in eight outings.