Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya has finally addressed the viral clip that appeared to show Lucknow Super Giants batter Nicholas Pooran grabbing him by the collar. The footage traces back to their IPL 2026 meeting on Thursday, when the two players shared a quick exchange during Lucknow’s innings and a short, animated moment later sparked online debate.
What the viral video showed
The incident occurred while Lucknow were batting, with Krunal and Pooran involved in a brief verbal disagreement. Soon after, a video started doing the rounds on social media, capturing Pooran appearing to gesture aggressively and, at one point, seemingly holding Krunal’s collar.
Despite the attention the clip attracted, the interaction looked far from hostile in the immediate aftermath. The match moment ended with both players shaking hands, suggesting the spat had been settled on the field.
Krunal ends the speculation with a friendly post
As fans continued to debate whether the moment was serious, Krunal moved to shut down the rumours by posting a photo with Pooran on Instagram. In the caption, he made it clear there was no bad blood between them, while also congratulating Pooran on a major career milestone.
- Krunal wrote, “No lafda, only love,” and added that he was proud of his “bro” for reaching 100 IPL games.
- He also asked Pooran a playful question about the bouncer, tying the post back to the on-field context.
- Pooran responded in the comments with, “Only love here guys. One of my best Mates.”
LSG’s win keeps playoff hopes alive
While the video took centre stage off the field, the on-field story belonged to Lucknow’s rain-affected win over RCB. LSG secured a nervy nine-run victory using the DLS method to stay in the thick of the IPL 2026 playoff race.
Mitchell Marsh powered the innings with a blistering century, while Prince Yadav played a key role with the ball as Lucknow held their nerve in the revised game.
- There were three separate rain interruptions that collectively delayed the match by close to an hour.
- Because of the weather, the contest was reduced to 19 overs per side.
- The result helped LSG snap a six-match losing streak.
- It was also Lucknow’s first home win of the season.
Rishabh Pant’s reaction after the match
After the win, LSG captain Rishabh Pant said the victory mattered greatly for the entire group and highlighted how the team had been working to sync their batting and bowling. He also acknowledged the season’s grind and pointed to the role of both good and bad luck before finishing with satisfaction at securing the result.
“It was a good game for us for sure. For the whole team it means a lot. We have been trying lot of things. Coming to the same page means a lot for us. It’s been a tough season but sometimes you have to go through the grind. Definitely we were trying to put together a perfect game where batting and bowling comes together. There has been some good luck and some bad luck but really happy to get a win,” Pant said.
