New Delhi: As Gujarat Titans began their 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) on a losing note, fans were left wondering what was the team’s logic behind not playing Indian cricket team all-rounder Washington Sundar.
It was not just Sundar, as another all-rounder Glenn Phillips was left on bench in Tuesday’s match against Punjab Kings, who set a target of 244-run target to win. Titans fell short by 11 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“How Sundar sneaks into the best 15 of India but doesn’t get a place in any IPL XI when 10 teams exist is a mystery,” Pushkar, an IPL fan, posted on ‘X’.
What drew the fans’ attention was a response by Google CEO Sundar Pichai. “I have been wondering this too,” he chipped in.
I have been wondering this too:)
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 25, 2025
Social media users responded to Pichai’s comment with a mix of humour and curiosity. One user quipped, “It’s a Sundar mystery that nobody can solve!” Another asked, “If you were to buy a team, which team would it be & what name would you give it?”. A third user joked, “The least you can do is clarify if you are a batsman or a bowler?”. Meanwhile, another post read, “California Sundar Wondering about Washington Sundar.”
The Indian-born tech executive’s response showcased his ardent love for cricket, indicating that he closely follows Indian cricket, including the IPL. Interestingly, both Sundar Pichai and Washington Sundar are from Tamil Nadu.
Last month, Pichai, along with a group of prominent US-based Indian tech executives, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora, Times Internet Limited vice-chairman Satyan Gajwani, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, and others, invested in cricket by winning a bid to own 49 percent of The Hundred’s Lord’s franchise, London Spirit.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) retains 51 percent ownership of London Spirit. Pichai’s investment highlights his interest in top-tier cricket leagues, sparking speculation that he may consider investing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the future.
In 2023, Pichai had posed with a cricket bat after an interview with host and content creator Brian Tong.
Great chatting with you @BrianTong about all things Pixel — and thanks for the cricket bat:) pic.twitter.com/TTwqhZKSjc
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) October 13, 2023
As for Washington Sundar’s exclusion, the fans were left perplexed considering that he was part of India’s victorious Champions Trophy squad and has become a regular in Test matches due to his all-round skills.
Sundar’s IPL career began promisingly in 2017 with Rising Pune Supergiants, where he was MS Dhoni’s go-to pick for power play overs, playing 11 matches that season. However, his IPL fortunes have declined since then. Despite stints with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad, in addition to his current team Gujarat Titans, Sundar has struggled to replicate his early success and gain a given spot in whatever team he plays for.
Excluding his 2020-21 season with Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he played 15 matches, Sundar’s IPL career has been marked by inconsistency. Over six seasons, he has played only 34 matches, with a scattered distribution: 7 in 2018, 3 in 2019, 6 in 2021, 9 in 2022, 7 in 2023, and just 2 in the last IPL season in 2024.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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