IPL Dispatch: Dhoni Question Persists For CSK In Southern Derby; Manjrekar Backs Shreyas Iyer

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lit up the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 with a thrilling 47-run victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) on Tuesday. SRH, batting first, posted a massive 242/2 total and restricted DC to 195/9 to seal their third straight victory of the season.

Abhishek Sharma was the star of the show in Hyderabad, scoring one of the finest centuries in IPL history. The opener remained unbeaten on 135 off just 68 balls, which included 10 fours and 10 sixes. Abhishek’s carnage fired him to the top of the Orange Cap list, overtaking teammate Heinrich Klaasen, who managed 37 not out off 13 balls.

Another SRH player who stole the limelight on Tuesday was pacer Eshan Malinga. To be a fast bowler from Sri Lanka with that surname is a heavy burden to carry, but the 25-year-old showed no signs of nerves as he ravaged the DC middle order, finishing with figures of 4/32. This took him to 12 wickets this season and is now trailing Anshul Kamboj by just one wicket in the Purple Cap list.

However, both Abhishek and Eshan’s records will be tested on Wednesday, when Rajasthan Royals (RR) take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Headlining the RR batting lineup is wunderkind Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

The 15-year-old is currently fourth in the list of leading run-scorers with 246 runs, trailing Abhishek by 77 runs. Considering the blistering form the youngster is in, he has a good chance of ending Wednesday with the Orange Cap on his head.

Ravi Bishnoi is another player to watch out for. The spinner was bought for INR 7.20 crore by RR, and has repaid the faith shown by them with 10 wickets in six innings. Another productive spell against the LSG batters could see him rise in the ranks in the Purple Cap leaderboard.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the biggest talking points and storylines in IPL 2026 from the last 24 hours.

Dhoni Question Persists For CSK

Both Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – five-time IPL champions – have made a slow start to this season, sitting seventh and eighth respectively with four points. The two giants are set to face each other on Thursday at the Wankhede Stadium in the ‘Southern derby’.

However, one question that CSK fans will be worrying about is whether MS Dhoni will make his long-awaited return from injury against MI. The veteran wicketkeeper has missed the start of the IPL season with a calf strain, but could return to the playing XI after training with his teammates on Tuesday.

One player who will definitely not play against MI is Ayush Mhatre, who has been ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury picked up against SRH. The 18-year-old will be out for 6-12 weeks.

MI, meanwhile, have been boosted by the arrival of Will Jacks. The England all-rounder joined the Mumbai squad ahead of the match against CSK, and could start at the top of the batting lineup on Wednesday.

Ashwin Invokes Triple H In Pandya Praise

MI’s last match against Gujarat Titans (GT) can aptly be termed the ‘Tilak Varma show’. The 23-year-old Hyderabad native was on fire in Ahmedabad, smashing 101 off 45 balls to take Mumbai to 199/5. MI eventually secured a massive 99-run victory.

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin credited MI skipper Hardik Pandya for motivating Varma during his unbeaten century knock. Ashwin compared Pandya’s leadership style to that of former WWE wrestler Triple H, who was known for his iconic water-spitting entrance.

“Hardik Pandya was talking to him (Tilak Varma) while batting; he motivated him,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “He did it like how we see in WWF (WWE). Just like Triple H used to do with water. So whatever Hardik Pandya said and did worked for Tilak Varma.”

Photo of the Day

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. For SRH, that man was Abhishek Sharma, who struck a terrific century against DC to help his side seal a morale-boosting win. He broke several records en route to his unbeaten 135-run knock. This was Abhishek’s second IPL century and his highest score in the tournament.

Abhishek struck 10 sixes, becoming only the second batter to achieve this feat after Chris Gayle. This was also his ninth T20 century, drawing level with Virat Kohli. Only Gayle, Babar Azam, and David Warner have more.

Manjrekar Backs Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer is having a fine IPL season, leading Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the top of the table with five wins in six games. With the bat, he has scored 208 runs in five innings, including an unbeaten 69-run knock against SRH.

It has been a stunning comeback from a player who was removed from the Indian T20I side and denied a central contract by the BCCI. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar backed Iyer, saying that the PBKS skipper was justified in feeling resentment towards the national selectors.

“If that performance doesn’t get you into the Indian team, a player like Shreyas Iyer, down the order, because those are the difficult positions, it is just unfair,” Manjrekar said. “If he has that angst toward someone for giving him that kind of a deal, I think it’s valid.”

Bumrah Trolls ‘DSP’ Siraj

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are the two crown jewels of the Indian pace attack, as well as for their respective IPL franchises. Bumrah finally ended his IPL wicket drought by dismissing Sai Sudharsan for a golden duck. Siraj also took a wicket – his sixth of the season – but could not prevent GT from losing.

However, one off-the-pitch moment after the match stole the attention of the fans. Bumrah and Siraj were engaged in a bit of friendly banter, with the MI pacer poking fun at his GT counterpart’s ‘DSP’ nickname. Siraj was appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Telangana in 2024, earning him that tag.

“When I go to Hyderabad, I ask him to send biryani, then he does. There’s no police car waiting for me, which says DSP," Bumrah joked, adding, “Did you get promoted to commissioner?”

Quote of the Day

“The environment we had at SRH from 2024 was a game-changer for us,” centurion Abhishek Sharma said after the SRH vs DC match. “I always wanted to play like this, for Punjab as well. Playing for Hyderabad has always felt like that.”

“I’ve been doing this L celebration for long (time) now, it’s just for the love we get from the stadium,” he added. “From my under-12 days, my dad has been sitting in front of the screen and telling me how to play. I want the cameras to show his reactions, (it) will be a lot of fun!”

With the kind of scintillating form Abhishek is in, it will be a lot of fun indeed.

Elsewhere…

Not the kind of news that anyone wants to hear, but a domestic match in the West Indies was abandoned for dangerous pitch conditions after a player was hospitalised. The match, held at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, was called off after Jeremiah Louis was hit on the head by a delivery from Jayden Seales. The match was officially abandoned as the pitch displayed “unpredictable and uneven behaviour, raising serious concerns for player safety”.

In the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 match between Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators, Fakhar Zaman scored a stunning century to help LQ seal a nine-run win. Zaman smashed 103 off 51 balls, which included 11 boundaries and six maximums, winning the Player of the Match award.