The Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is underway, and two matches each have been played by the franchises. Before the third match round, a controversial incident occurred during the first match of the double header on Sunday, 5 April 2026. The incident happened during the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vs Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) match.
LSG fast bowler Avesh Khan has always been in the headlines for his controversial celebrations and incidents during the IPL. Now he was involved in hitting the ball from outside the boundary line before the ball touched the fence. It happened during the second last ball of SRH’s 19th over, when 1 run was needed from 2 balls, Rishabh Pant hit Jaydev Unadkat over mid-off.
Avesh Khan will be fined?
However, even before the ball reached the boundary, Avesh was caught hitting the ball while he was standing padded out to bat next. It was claimed that the ball had not crossed the ropes, and a section of social media also argued that SRH should have been awarded five penalty runs.
One fan said that the umpires should enforce Rule 20.1 (Dead Ball) and Rule 41 (Unfair Play). According to MCC Law 20.4.2, a delivery may be declared a dead ball due to interference by someone beyond the field of play. However, nothing like this happened during the game.
Avesh Khan escaped punishment
Maybe Avesh Khan had a lucky escape, or is the SRH management going to file a complaint against the fast bowler and the umpire with the IPL Governing Council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)?
It is debatable whether match officials ignored the incident or found nothing wrong. With cameras everywhere, it is doubtful that the problem would have gone unnoticed. A possible reason for this is that there were no SRH players near the boundary line, and Avesh Khan’s action did not prevent any fielders from preventing the ball from reaching the boundary.
Why is Avesh Khan so upset? First he broke his helmet, then hit the ball with his bat, even if the ball did not reach the boundary, the umpire should ban him for one match or the umpire should call that delivery dead ball.
pic.twitter.com/3xl2WxJlgh– ValenceCricket (@cricketvalence) 5 April 2026
If Avesh Khan had acted immaturely when a fielder was chasing the ball or trying to chase the ball, it would certainly have come into question, as immature behavior is not expected from an experienced international player in the best league in the world. Avesh Khan needs to understand the seriousness of the game and not just have fun.
SRH management unhappy with umpires in IPL
During the first match, SRH batsman Heinrich Klaasen was out after a controversial catch by Phil Salt, which was taken on the boundary line, reports Cricbuzz. It appeared that the England wicketkeeper batsman for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had touched some part of the toblerones, but the Proteas batsman was given out.
The SRH management was unhappy with the incident, and they were also upset with Varun Chakravarthy’s catch during the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad match, where Abhishek Sharma was given out, as the Orange Army management believed that the ball had touched the ground, making it a controversial catch.
“While there will be no dismissal or overturning of results, sources say the franchises may approach the BCCI if they have not already done so,” the report said.
Also Read: “It’s difficult to keep him out” – RCB coach confirms Devdutt Padikkal’s return to India amid IPL 2026