From Avesh's Antics To Klaasen's Fury: Five Biggest Controversies To Have Rocked IPL 2026 So Far

Rain stopped play for the first time in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as match 12 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings was abandoned due to the incessant downpour and the subsequent wet outfield at Eden Gardens on Monday (April 6). KKR thus secured their first point after back-to-back defeats.

ALSO READ: KKR Vs PBKS Highlights

Besides uncontrollables like the weather, each season of IPL throws up a variety of controversies on and off the field. While these prickly issues are not pleasant for the parties involved, some argue they are what keeps the buzz going ahead of and during the league.

The 2026 edition is only 10 days old and has already witnessed multiple such instances. Here is a detailed look at the five most striking matters of contention that have unfolded in the ongoing season.

Salt's Borderline Catch Leaves Klaasen Fuming

The very first day of IPL 2026 presented a controversial moment. During the 14th over of Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) innings against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Heinrich Klaasen tried to clear the boundary off Romario Shepherd's bowling. He connected well but did not get the desired distance, with Phil Salt positioned at the fence.

Salt completed a tumbling catch near the rope, after which the on-field umpires referred the decision upstairs to check for a possible boundary infringement. Multiple replays were inconclusive, but one angle appeared to show the boundary cushion moving as Salt completed the catch.

Despite that, third umpire Rohan Pandit ruled Klaasen out and the South African batter was visibly frustrated. The incident soon went viral, with fans and experts debating the decision across social media platforms.

Avesh's Boundary Antics Rub SRH Wrong Way

The SunRisers were aggrieved once again on April 5, during match 10 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). This time it was due to Avesh Khan's act, right at the end of the game. LSG skipper Rishabh Pant hit a four to take his side past SRH's 157-run target in the final over.

Avesh, who was standing near the LSG dugout, hit the ball back into the ground with a bat. Many suggested that the ball had not crossed the boundary line, with some even making the case that the Hyderabad-based franchise should be given five penalty runs under Laws 20.1 (Dead Ball) and 41 (Unfair Play).

Though no fielder was near the ball and hence it could not be considered a hindrance, reports suggested that SRH might communicate their complaints to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding Avesh's act, the Klaasen catch and also Abhishek Sharma's dismissal against KKR on April 2.

Karnataka MLAs' 'Fight' For Tickets

Tickets for most IPL games are as it is in short supply, leaving key stakeholders harried. But Karnataka lawmakers took things one notch up this time, raising the matter in legislative assembly, and across party lines at that.

The MLAs alleged that they were treated with "disrespect" by the Karnataka State Cricket Association, which manages the venue. Some members also demanded a separate lounge for legislators at the stadium.

Speaker UT Khader then sought four VIP tickets for each MLA, and state deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar later announced that the lawmakers would get two tickets each for the tournament opener, in a compromise of sorts.

A couple of days hence, it was upgraded to three free tickets for all IPL matches in the city, in addition to two complimentary tickets for international matches in Bengaluru. Shivakumar said the matter had been finalised after discussions over the past week.

"..I also spoke with officials from Rajasthan, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Gujarat — about 50–60% of tickets there are distributed to government officials and related groups. Compared to them, our level of interference is far less,” he added.

Australian Players' (Un)availability

Even before the season began, chatter around several Australian players' availability, or the lack of it, attained fever pitch. Josh Hazlewood is yet to feature for RCB owing to an Achilles injury, and Mitchell Starc is similarly not around for Delhi Capitals (DC) as he is "rehabbing and managing" a shoulder and an elbow injury.

Pat Cummins has left the SRH camp and returned to Australia to have a final scan on his injured back, and is expected to rejoin the squad on April 17 if cleared by Cricket Australia. But the most talked about case has been that of Cameron Green, as he is playing for KKR but not bowling because of a minor lower-back problem.

Ajinkya Rahane's "Ask Cricket Australia" quip on why Green was not bowling made the headlines, and the board issued a rejoinder soon by saying KKR was "fully aware" of Green's status. "Cameron has a lower-back injury, which is being managed, but requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period," a CA spokesperson said.

"Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to return in around 10-12 days' time. KKR has been communicated with and is fully aware of this information."

Pant-Goenka Saga

It was KL Rahul in IPL 2024, and it's Rishabh Pant now. LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka's on-field interactions with his franchise's captains continue to raise eyebrows and gain online traction.

A viral video showing a supposed tense exchange between Goenka and Pant led to rumours of a rift between the duo. At the end of LSG's match against DC, Pant was seen speaking animatedly with Goenka, coach Justin Langer, and director Tom Moody.

That video instantly evoked memories of Goenka’s infamous bust-up with former Rahul. The pair had a public confrontation during the 2024 edition after a loss to SRH.

With Rahul not retained after that season and Pant in the picture, the latest episode was bound to create ripples. The franchise soon took to social media to post the "uncut video" of the exchange, which showed Pant and Goenka having a light-hearted discussion while laughing. But with the audio being muffled, the exact topic of their talks was not clear and online users speculated that the visuals were recreated post facto to control damage.

Former IPL chief Lalit Modi did not mince his words while criticising Goenka, saying, “While football league owners treat players with respect, long-term vision, and professionalism, IPL owners are often busy chasing hype and headlines, publicly berating captains right on the boundary after tough losses.”

Even former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his dismay, writing, “1 game into the Tournament .. No need for this ..” Meanwhile, fans took to the comments section of LSG’s post to criticize the explanation, calling it a “cover-up”.