A fiery moment marred the IPL 2026 meeting between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on Monday, when a heated exchange flared up between CSK wicketkeeper Sanju Samson and SRH batter Heinrich Klaasen after Klaasen was dismissed during the chase. The verbal confrontation did not end with the walk back to the pavilion, with Klaasen continuing the argument as he moved towards the dugout, making it clear the altercation was far from friendly.
How the dismissal happened: Noor Ahmad’s key over
The incident unfolded on the third ball of the 15th over of SRH’s innings. Noor Ahmad sent Klaasen back with a stumping, turning the contest at a crucial stage of the chase. Bowling from over the wicket, Noor bowled a googly that came from outside the off stump as Klaasen tried to create room and execute an inside-out shot.
The ball spun away, beat Klaasen’s outside edge, and Samson responded immediately behind the stumps. With Klaasen unable to drag his back foot inside the crease in time, Samson removed the bails quickly to complete the stumping.
- Klaasen was dismissed on the third ball of the 15th over.
- Noor Ahmad used a googly from over the wicket, angling it outside the off stump.
- Samson completed the stumping after Klaasen missed the outside edge and failed to get his back foot in.
After the wicket: words between Klaasen and Samson
Samson’s sharp glove work drew comparisons with former CSK captain MS Dhoni, given the urgency and precision of the dismissal. Klaasen’s knock ended at 47 off 26 balls, featuring six boundaries and two maximums.
As Klaasen returned to the dressing room, he exchanged words with Samson close to the pitch. The SRH batter even turned around at one point while walking towards the dugout, continuing the verbal exchange and underlining that the disagreement was ongoing rather than a momentary flare-up.
CSK’s innings and SRH’s successful chase
Earlier in the match, Pat Cummins produced a three-wicket spell to limit Chennai Super Kings to 180 for seven after the hosts opted to bat first.
CSK got off quickly thanks to Samson, who began the innings by striking Nitish Kumar Reddy for 6, 4, and 4 in the opening over, collecting 17 runs. He then hit Praful Hinge for three consecutive boundaries in the second over, keeping the momentum firmly with the home side.
Cummins took the ball in the third over and made an impact when Samson was dismissed after Ishan Kishan completed the catch behind the stumps. Urvil Patel followed with two sixes off Cummins, but Sakib Hussain removed him with a slower delivery to keep pressure on CSK’s scoring rate.
Middle overs: partnerships, wickets, and late recovery
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Kartik Sharma combined to add 42 runs for the third wicket. Kartik scored 32 off 19 balls and struck quickly, including an inside-out boundary off Hinge and a pulled six against Shivang Kumar.
Cummins returned to strike again, first dismissing Kartik with a slower ball outside the off stump before removing Gaikwad with a short delivery. Gaikwad made 15 off 21 balls before being caught by Eshan Malinga in the deep.
Dewald Brevis then lifted the innings with a quick 44 off 27 balls and shared a 59-run stand with Shivam Dube to bring CSK back into contention. Brevis struck both Cummins and Nitish for sixes, but Malinga ended his stay with a 141 kmph delivery.
Dube and the lower-order batters attempted to push CSK beyond the 200-run mark, yet the innings concluded at 180/7.
- CSK finished on 180 for seven after batting first.
- Cummins took three wickets during his spell.
- Brevis scored 44 off 27, contributing a 59-run partnership with Dube.
- CSK were unable to surpass 200 despite late hitting.
Result: SRH win by five wickets and playoff qualification update
In the chase, SRH ultimately chased down the target and won the match by five wickets. With the result, SRH confirmed a place in the playoffs, joining Gujarat Titans (GT) among the teams that qualified.
- SRH chased the target successfully.
- Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 5 wickets.
- SRH and GT qualified for the playoffs.
