Sunrisers Hyderabad picked up a morale-boosting win against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL on Saturday, but the match quickly got overshadowed online by a fabricated story of “black magic” linked to the CSK camp. While fans focused on the action, a fake complaint—purportedly from CSK—circulated on social media, claiming that SRH had lodged a grievance over a superstition reportedly carried out by a supporter inside the venue. The episode, involving a viral video of an SRH fan holding a lemon, was later challenged publicly by former IPL chairperson Lalit Modi, who dismissed the letter as “fake” yet suggested that at least one owner had previously been involved in similar rituals.
Key takeaways
- SRH recorded a morale-boosting victory over CSK in an IPL match on Saturday.
- A counterfeit CSK complaint letter claimed SRH had complained about “black magic” allegedly performed by a stadium fan.
- A viral clip showed an SRH supporter performing a lemon ritual in the stands, with some users tying it to CSK’s player getting dismissed.
- Lalit Modi called the viral letter “fake” while asserting that an owner had indulged in superstitious behaviour in the past.
- In IPL 2026 context, SRH sit fourth after winning three of their first six matches, while CSK are seventh with two wins from four games.
Viral “black magic” complaint fuels online buzz
Despite expectations that on-field performances would dominate the conversation, a misleading document attributed to CSK became the headline for a short spell. The circulated letter alleged that SRH had submitted a complaint regarding “black magic” said to be performed by a fan at the stadium. The claim drew attention because it connected a match-day superstition to a formal-sounding grievance, even though the entire episode was later treated as misinformation.
The spark for the rumour appears to have been a video featuring an SRH supporter in the stands holding a lemon and carrying out a ritual. The clip went viral, and a section of social media users went further by suggesting that the “superstition” played a role in the dismissal of a CSK batter. That leap—from a fan’s act to a match outcome—helped create the conditions for someone to release the fake CSK complaint online.
Lalit Modi debunks the letter, but points to past rituals
Lalit Modi stepped into the discussion to challenge the narrative. He rejected the letter’s authenticity, describing it as “fake,” but also offered a different perspective on superstition in franchise cricket. Modi said that while this particular claim was not credible, he believed that one franchise owner had previously engaged in superstitious rituals.
Modi wrote that it “seems fake” this time, but clarified that in his experience one owner had indulged in such practices. He further claimed that the ritual involved the opposing team’s dressing room—adding that he had raised the issue with the other franchise owners years earlier, specifically during the 2011 season, and said he received what he described as proof.
In his expanded remarks, Modi said he had previously posted about an owner carrying out the act by doing “exactly this” in the opposing team’s dressing room. He added that he alerted the relevant team owners at the time and indicated that more details about these kinds of activities—and who conducted them—could be revealed later through a planned movie or TV series, as decided by his team.
IPL 2026 standings: SRH fourth, CSK seventh
Beyond the controversy, the IPL 2026 table also featured in the discussion. Sunrisers Hyderabad were placed fourth after winning three of their first six matches. However, the race for the top four was described as tightly contested, with Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans also sitting on six points.
Chennai Super Kings were positioned seventh, having managed only two wins from their first four games. With early-season form still shaping the standings, the gap between the teams meant SRH’s win carried extra importance—both for momentum on the field and for how quickly the narrative moved away from a match result to a superstition-themed internet storm.
