IPL Dispatch: Axar's Loss Is Miller's Gain; Sangakkara Shares Thoughtful Message For Sooryavanshi

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026's fourth Saturday (April 18) was super in more ways than one. Not only did it mark 18 whole years of the league's existence, but also gave us a banger of a 19th anniversary, in the form of two last-over thrillers.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) annual 'Go Green' initiative saw them donning special jerseys said to be made from recycled plastic waste, and their captain Rajat Patidar presenting a sapling to his Delhi Capitals (DC) counterpart Axar Patel at the toss to promote environmental sustainability. It was DC pacer Mukesh Kumar who ended up winning the Green Dot Balls of the Match Award as RCB suffered a six-wicket defeat at home.

ALSO READ: RCB Vs DC Highlights

Later in the evening, MS Dhoni did a 'vanishing act' of sorts as he arrived in Hyderabad, only to disappoint fans by not featuring in the Chennai Super Kings vs SunRisers encounter. Nitish Reddy snared the in-form Sanju Samson early, Ishan Kishan notched up an unwanted record by becoming the first-ever IPL captain to lose each of his first six tosses, and SRH regular skipper Pat Cummins returned to Indian shores.

With that, here is a quick look at some of the big IPL 2026 talking points in the last 24 hours.

Redemption For Miller Alongside Proteas Teammate

Having endured a number of heartbreakingly close defeats in South Africa colours, David Miller would not have forgotten the 'brainfade' moment versus Gujarat Titans in a hurry. Another narrow loss and the troll army would have been out in full force against him.

Thankfully for the southpaw, that didn't happen as he found an ally in fellow Proteas batter Tristan Stubbs on Saturday. The 25-year-old Stubbs hit an unbeaten 47-ball 60 to anchor the DC innings beautifully, with Miller (22 not out off 10) providing the late blitz to romp home with one ball to spare.

Will Rishabh Pant Play On Sunday?

The answer is an emphatic yes. Lucknow Super Giants bowling coach Bharat Arun confirmed to the media on the eve of the game against Punjab Kings that captain Rishabh Pant is "perfectly alright", and fit enough to play the match.

Pant had injured his left elbow after being hit by a Josh Hazlewood delivery in LSG's last outing against RCB. He was forced to retire hurt after facing just three balls and did return to bat briefly later, but that stay also lasted just three balls, with the wicketkeeper-batter dismissed for a six-ball 1. But Pant has since been training with the team and it was evidently more of a bruise and not a fracture.

Photo Of The Day

Stand matters in cricket. Or does it? RCB 'keeper Jitesh Sharma set the coaching manual aside with a hockey-like shot, hinged on one foot, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was, but, a tiny highlight in a laboured 20-ball 14 which ended with Lungi Ngidi's full toss going straight to Miller at long off.

New Leaders Emerge

Even in defeat, Anshul Kamboj proved his worth to CSK with figures of 3/22 in 3 overs, apart from an unbeaten 8-ball 13. The Haryana seamer has now climbed atop the bowlers' leaderboard, annexing the Purple Cap with 13 wickets from six games at an average of 16.23.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen racked up identical scores (59 each) for the victors, though in vastly different number of balls (22 as against 39). Klaasen's knock was enough to hand him the Orange Cap with 283 runs from six matches at an average of 47.16.

Quote Of The Day

Teen phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's IPL journey is already shaping up as a mix of dazzling highs and some tough lessons, but Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara feels he must "enjoy" his cricket and that "less said, the better" for him.

Having lit up the tournament with his explosive batting against world-class operators like Jasprit Bumrah and Hazlewood, Sooryavanshi was dismissed for a golden duck by an unheralded Praful Hinge in their last match against SRH.

"My message to Vaibhav is simple: enjoy everything. Whether it’s 100 off 35 balls, 50 off 15, or a first-ball duck, you’re allowed to score runs, and you’re allowed to fail. It’s part and parcel of cricket," the RR director of cricket said on the high expectations surrounding the young gun.

He added, "The nature of opening in T20 cricket today is all-out attack. He’ll figure things out as he goes along. For a player like that, sometimes the less said, the better. I just want him to remain that 15-year-old kid who goes out and bats with a sense of wonder. That’s how he’ll truly progress."

New Arrivals

The personnel changes continued in IPL 2026, with SRH signing South Africa fast bowler Gerald Coetzee as replacement for the injured David Payne. Coetzee will join the SunRisers for INR 2 crore.

Payne himself had been drafted into the SRH squad as a replacement for Australia's Jack Edwards, who was ruled out before the start of the season with a foot injury. SRH have also lost England seamer Brydon Carse to a hand injury, bringing in Dilshan Madushanka as his replacement.

Elsewhere...

Just like the IPL, a double-header is lined up in the Pakistan Super League too on Sunday: Karachi Kings host Multan Sultans in the afternoon before Peshawar Zalmi face Quetta Gladiators in the evening.

On the country's national cricket front, Sarfaraz Ahmed was appointed as Pakistan's Test head coach for their upcoming two-match tour of Bangladesh. Shan Masood will lead a relatively young-looking side, bearing four uncapped players in the form of Abdullah Fazal, Amad Butt, Azan Awais and Mohammad Ghazi Ghori.