IPL 2026 Dispatch: MS Dhoni Hits Nets Ahead Of PBKS Clash, Lalit Modi Fumes At Sanjiv Goenka

The second round of the Indian Premier League finally turned the trend that described the first as Sunrisers Hyderabad finally became the first team to successfully defend a target.

SRH annihilated KKR by 65 runs to win their first match of the season. After being invited to bat first, they posted a mammoth 226 on the board on the back of a scintillating opening stand by destructive openers - Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who provided the much-needed impetus on a track that slowed as the innings progressed.

Meanwhile, misery continued for KKR as they got bundled out for just 161 in response, in 16 overs, resulting in a 65-run defeat for the three-time champions. Apart from another one-sided match, there was quite a lot of buzz around the IPL that needs some attention.

Here are the today's talking points:

Sanjeev Goenka Strikes Again

LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was heavily criticized for his heated discussion with then-Lucknow skipper KL Rahul on the field after a drubbing against SRH, which allegedly repeated the same thing with the current skipper, Rishabh Pant, after losing to Delhi Capitals in their opening match of IPL 2026.

In a video that is doing the rounds on social media, Goenka is seen having a discussion with Rishabh Pant, where the latter is animatedly explaining something to him and the head coach Justin Langer, who was also a part of the discussion.

After the video went viral on social media, people again started calling out Goenka for being too harsh on his team in the ground itself. Even former England skipper Michael Vaughan also tweeted on the issue, asking the LSG owner not to act in this manner, as it's quite early in the tournament.

Watch the video here:

However, when upon realizing the extent of negative impact caused by the viral video, the franchise immediately posted a video of the incident from an earlier timeline to counter the narrative and clarify that it's not what is being assumed on social media.

Dhoni Hits Nets In Chennai

MS Dhoni, who was ruled out for the initial two weeks of IPL 2026, hit the nets, playing some throwdowns, fuelling speculations that the veteran batter may make an early comeback in the league.

When CSK skipper, Ruturaj Gaikwad, was asked about Dhoni's return, he cheekily replied, "I will give an update on the 13th day as he's been out for 14 days."

Meanwhile, Dewald Brevis, who is also out of injury, also batted in the nets, and if he returns for the next match against PBKS, it could bolster CSK's dwindling batting line-up.

Photo Of The Day

MS Dhoni is currently out of IPL 2026 due to a calf injury. However, he is still active in Chennai Super Kings' practice session ahead of their clash against Punjab on Friday, April 3, 2026.

While Dhoni is at the fag end of his IPL playing career, and this may be his last season as a player, seeing him guiding other players during the practice session may give us a glimpse into his future association with CSK in any position.

Nuwan Thushara Drags SLC To Court

Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Thushara moved court to secure his participation in IPL 2026. He bagged an INR 1.6 crore contract from RCB but was refused NOC from the Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) as he failed to clear the fitness test, which was made mandatory by SLC to obtain NOCs for all contracted players.

However, Thushara argues that his contract ended on March 31 and he has already stated his wish to the board that he don't wish to extend the contract, which is why he should be allowed to play in the IPL.  He has snared 174 wickets in 137 T20s overall at an average of 21.25.

IPL Chairman Calls Mustafizur Rahman's Incident Unfortunate

Mustafizur Rahman borne the brunt of deteriorating governmental relations between Indian and Bangladesh some months back because of targeted Hindu killings in Bangladesh and was kicked out of the IPL despite bagging an INR 9.20 crore contract from KKR.

Today, IPL chairman Arun Dhumal opened up on the unfortunate incident and called described it as “unfortunate”.

Speaking to Financial Express, Dhumal said, "It is unfortunate, I would say, the way things unfold at times. I do not think the government has any interest or any role to play in running cricket day to day. The government is supportive of cricket at large.

"But, yes, sometimes events happen around us and decisions follow. I am sure good sense will prevail and that this will not be the case going forward."

Quote Of The Day

LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was put in the firing line by Lalit Modi for his viral video with Rishabh Pant. Goenka is being criticized by fans on social media for his intense discussion with skipper Rishabh Pant on the field after the loss to the Delhi Capitals.

Former England skipper, Michael Vaughan, also took to social media asking Goenka not to panic as it's only the first match. Vaughan tweeted, "1 game into the tournament, no need for this."

Lalit Modi, who is the former chairman and father of the Indian Premier League, severely criticized Sanjiv Goenka for constantly interfering in the on-field functioning of the franchise.

While replying to Vaughan's tweet, Modi called him a clown and even went on to say that if he were the chairman now, then he would have banned him from the league and forfeited his ownership of the team.

Bengaluru Metro Services Extended

In a welcome announcement, metro services in Bengaluru will be extended till 2 AM by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for fans attending the marquee RCB vs CSK clash on April 5, 2026.

Generally, the last train departs at 11 PM but on matchday, it will extend to 2 AM of the next day across all terminal stations and special late-night services scheduled on key routes, including major interchange points like Majestic.

Other special arrangements will also be made such as QR-code-based travel with match tickets and expanded parking facilities at multiple stations were introduced to ease crowd movement, reduce congestion around the stadium, and encourage spectators to use public transport.