IPL Dispatch: Obstructing Field Dismissal Sparks Controversy; Rathour Shares Update On Sooryavanshi's Injury

After four innings of unfettered hitting and 220-plus totals the previous day, the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday (April 26, 2026) witnessed back-to-back low-scoring games, culminating with a chaotic thriller. Shrugging off Mohammed Shami's last-ball six that tied the totals, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) rode Sunil Narine's experience-powered Super Over performance to sneak past the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

ALSO READ: LSG Vs KKR Highlights

Before Narine held his nerve in the tie-breaker, Rinku Singh set it all up for KKR. In a near-reprise of the five consecutive final-over sixes in IPL 2023 that catapulted him to fame, the Knight Riders vice-captain clobbered Digvesh Rathi for four straight maximums in the 20th over.

Though both games of the Sunday double-header witnessed 160-odd scores, the win-loss margins offered stark contrast. Chennai Super Kings surrendered meekly with the ball to let Gujarat Titans chase down a 159-run target with eight wickets and 20 balls to spare, whereas KKR fought like a wounded tiger to make sure victory was theirs.

With that, here is a look at some of the major IPL 2026 talking points in the past 24 hours.

Bodies On The Line

Time and again, we see fielding standards being redefined in T20 games. The trend is leaving its impact in all forms of cricket, imparting a fresh dynamic to the age-old sport. Dewald Brevis, Rovman Powell and Rinku Singh all instantiated that with their excellence in the field.

Brevis belied the Chennai heat, and after a few acrobatic efforts early in the Titans' innings, took a brilliant catch to send back Sai Sudharsan. In the evening encounter, the ball seemed to follow Rinku, who pouched four catches including an extraordinary boundary-line effort to get rid of Aiden Markram.

Rinku's teammate Powell also pulled off a stunner for Mitchell Marsh's dismissal, but injured himself in the process. It all went to show that when it comes to saving runs and going for improbable catches, top cricketers are routinely putting their body on the line, even when not playing for their country.

Update On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Injury

Nobody, not even Rajasthan Royals' (RR) rivals would want a pause to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's otherworldly displays in the IPL. But a hamstring injury on Saturday threatened to do just that. Having hit the third-fastest hundred (off 36 balls) in league history, the 15-year-old phenom had to leave the field midway during SunRisers Hyderabad's innings, clutching his hamstring.

RR batting coach Vikram Rathour offered some relatively encouraging news after the game. "It was looking like a bit of a hamstring issue, but right now, he is looking fine. They’ve treated him, so we’ll know in a day or so if it’s anything serious, but it’s not looking like that for now,” Rathour said.

Photo Of The Day

By adjudging Angkrish Raghuvanshi out for obstructing the field, umpires Abhijeet Bengeri and Keyur Kelkar gave rise to the latest IPL controversy, which is also perhaps the biggest yet of the 2026 season. The 21-year-old Raghuvanshi became only the fourth batter in the tournament's history - all Indians - to be declared out in this fashion.

Raghuvanshi, who was dismissed for 9, was not happy with the decision and even argued his case with the on-field umpires, but the Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter had to eventually accept the call made against him. KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar was seen arguing with the fourth umpire near the team dugout as Raghuvanshi threw his helmet in frustration.

Another contentious point, though not of a similar magnitude, sprang up later in the game. Kartik Tyagi was allowed to complete the 20th and final over of LSG's chase despite bowling two beamers early on. The reasoning provided was that the second beamer was not dangerous enough to take the seamer off the attack.

Quote Of The Day

Rishabh Pant was inexplicably smiling widely after his team's Super Over loss to the Knight Riders. It was hard to tell whether the LSG skipper was putting a brave front or simply finding a fresh way to cope with a disastrous campaign so far.

Speaking to Harsha Bhogle at the post-match presentation, Pant conceded the Super Giants “definitely need a break”. The bottom line was that LSG had slumped to the bottom of the points table with a fifth loss on the trot, and their sixth overall in eight matches.

He said: “We definitely need a break; I think we are going to refresh. There is always pressure and it is going to be (a) pressure game always, but at the same time, we have to look for answers inside, not outside and just keep it simple. Just take accountability, each and every guy. Like, it can't be about one or two guys, it has to be about the whole unit. And a lot of people will take accountability for that, for sure." Make of that what you will.

'Homecoming' For Kohli; Rahul In Focus

Up next, Delhi Capitals host Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2026 on Monday. This puts two mainstays of either side in interesting 'home-away-from-home' scenarios. Virat Kohli visits his home town Delhi in RCB colours, while KL Rahul readies to take on former franchise and his hometown team.

It is fair to assume that spectators at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, a large chunk of whom are expected to be Capitals' supporters, would not mind their favourite son Kohli putting on a show. Conversely, Rahul would be aiming for another fruitful outing against the Royal Challengers, versus whom he has amassed a personal-high 789 runs.

Elsewhere...

Even as the battle for playoff spots begins to hot up in IPL, the corresponding fixtures in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) have been decided. Islamabad United will meet Peshawar Zalmi in the Qualifier, and Hyderabad Kingsmen, Multan Sultans will lock horns in Eliminator 1.

Furthermore, spectators will be allowed to attend the PSL final after the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a request from franchise owners. The 2026 edition of the league had started behind closed doors in March, with fans asked to stay home because of soaring fuel prices related to the US-Israel-Iran war.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh — the other neighbouring nation with whom India's cricketing relations are thorny at best currently — prepare to play a T20 international after 146 days as they begin the 20-over leg against New Zealand in Chattogram on Monday. The gap is a forced one, since the Bangla Tigers boycotted the T20 World Cup and were replaced by Scotland as a fallout of the Mustafizur Rahman IPL-release controversy.