Sunrisers Hyderabad, captained by Ishan Kishan, are feeling aggrieved about the way their Sunday afternoon clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ended at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. LSG, led by Rishabh Pant, completed a five-wicket triumph by chasing 157 with one ball remaining and keeping five wickets in hand. However, a late boundary has triggered fresh debate, with pacer Avesh Khan becoming the focal point of the controversy.
The flashpoint arrived at the finish when Pant struck a boundary off Jaydev Unadkat on the penultimate delivery to effectively seal the chase for Lucknow. As the ball was being played near the end, Avesh—positioned close to the LSG dugout—swatted the ball back down with his bat after it had already been hit for the boundary. The claim now doing the rounds is that the ball never made contact with the boundary rope or cushion. Discussions intensified on social media, where some fans argued that SRH should have been awarded five penalty runs and that the game should have been assessed under Laws 20.1 (Dead Ball) and 41 (Unfair Play).
While the incident clearly looks improper on the field, the argument being made is that it cannot realistically be treated as a deliberate act of obstruction by a fielder trying to prevent a four—especially given that there were no players nearby at the time. On that basis, it is suggested that the unfair play provision would be difficult to invoke. Reports also indicate that SRH may consider taking the matter up with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), not only regarding this particular moment but also referencing a couple of other incidents.
That same line of reporting points to an earlier grievance involving Heinrich Klaasen. The franchise reportedly felt aggrieved over how Klaasen’s dismissal was handled in the IPL 2026 opener, when he was caught by RCB wicketkeeper Phil Salt off Romario Shepherd’s bowling. SRH’s concerns have also extended to team discipline and umpiring calls in other matches, including the dismissal of opener Abhishek Sharma against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 2.
Further scrutiny has been directed at Varun Chakravarthy’s catching effort against Blessing Muzarabani at deep square leg. Abhishek, it was noted, had voiced dissent after his dismissal, and he was also penalised for breaching the tournament’s Code of Conduct. Even so, the outcome of those dismissals and the results flowing from them are not expected to be overturned, but SRH appear determined to press their case through official channels if they have not already done so.
In terms of the current season, Sunrisers have collected just one win and suffered two defeats so far in IPL 2026. They lost to RCB and LSG, but managed to beat KKR. Their next assignment is against Punjab Kings on Saturday, April 11.
