Former Indian Test opener Sadagopan showered praise on Sai Sudharsan for his consistent performances in the Indian Premier League. Sudharsan top-scored in IPL 2025 with 759 runs in 15 matches for Gujarat Titans at an average of 54.21 and a strike rate of 156.17 and was the Orange Cap.

The 24-year-old from Tamil Nadu has scored 1793 runs in 40 IPL matches at an average of 49.81 and a strike rate of 145.90. Sudharsan is someone who relies on timing rather than brute force to score the majority of his runs in the tournament.

Ramesh said on Star Sports, “His biggest strength is boundary hitting. Shikhar Dhawan is one of the least talked-about IPL batters. Dhawan used to consistently score 500 runs in a season at one stretch. But his innings would be built in a way that goes unnoticed, yet he would keep scoring timely boundaries. Sai Sudarshan is similar to Shikhar Dhawan in his scoring pattern. His batting will not look explosive like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.”

“But the runs will keep flowing for Sai. Before you realize it, he will shock you by how many runs he has scored in an innings,” added Ramesh.

The former flamboyant batter said Sudharsan’s competition are batters who score runs at a strike rate of 180-200.

“It’s hard to be consistent. Yet, Sai Sudarshan must be aware of the pressure he is under, given the openers he is competing with in India. His competition is full of explosive batters, who play at strike rates of 180 and 200. Sai is a guaranteed 600-run scorer per season. But there was a time where he looked good to break into the Indian T20I side,” said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).

“However, he has gone slightly behind in the pecking order now. So this season, Sai should continue showcasing his consistent side but also display an explosive side to his batting.”

Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur on 31st March.