Google CEO and cricket lover Sundar Pichai has weighed in on an ‘IPL mystery’ - why did Gujarat Titans bench Washington Sundar from their playing XI?
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to field against Punjab Kings in their opening match of the IPL 2025 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Both Washington Sundar and Glen Phillips have found themselves on the bench - leaving many cricket fans confused and questioning the decision.
One such confused fan took to the social media platform X to ponder the mystery, and received a response from the CEO of Google.
The exchange
“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,” cricket fan Pushkar posted on the social media platform X.
Sundar Pichai responded to this post on his namesake. “I have been wondering this too,” replied the Indian-American executive, adding a smiley at the end.
Pushkar, probably surprised to see the CEO of Google replying to his post, decided to try his luck. He asked Pichai if he could be recruited for a job at Google, his query leaving viewers in splits.
{{/usCountry}}Pushkar, probably surprised to see the CEO of Google replying to his post, decided to try his luck. He asked Pichai if he could be recruited for a job at Google, his query leaving viewers in splits.
{{/usCountry}}“Sir, give me a job in Google now that you have replied,” wrote Pushkar.
The reactions
Pichai’s post drew thousands of amused reactions, but some asked him to focus on Google.
“You give the vibe of the founder who’d start getting active on twitter just before the launch and get back to product once done,” wrote one X user.
“Sundar from Washington wondering about Washington Sundar... Didn’t expect this at 5:11 AM,” another joked.
One person called the exchange “actually insane.” Another wrote: “Lmfao why is he replying random accounts? Doesn't he have work to do?”