From Avesh Khan’s ball-hitting to Phil Salt’s catch: Top 5 controversies in IPL 2026 so far

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season has produced not just enthralling on-field performances but also plenty of drama off it.

From heated boundary disputes to player-versus-board battles, IPL 2026 has seen no shortage of controversies so far, and it has not even been two weeks since the 19th season began.

With technical blunders and tactical debates now taking centre stage, here is a look at the top five controversies so far this season.

The incident occurred in the ninth over of SRH’s innings, when opener Abhishek Sharma pulled a short ball towards deep square leg.

Chakravarthy, stationed there, put in a diving effort and appeared to complete the catch before the ball touched the ground.

Abhishek, however, wasn't pleased with this decision, and the third umpire then had a look at it.

The third umpire, though, couldn't find conclusive evidence if Varun grounded the ball, and Abhishek's dismissal was upheld. Abhishek was eventually fined 25% of his match fees for showing dissent towards TV umpire Nitin Menon. While walking off the field, Abhishek was clearly miffed, expressing anger and disappointment over his dismissal.

However, before the ball could reach the rope, Avesh Khan, sitting at the LSG dugout, hit the ball with his bat back onto the ground. There were reports that SRH could lodge a complaint with the BCCI on this and a couple of other instances, but there has been no official word so far.

Rule 41.5 of BCCI's playing conditions for the IPL states: “it is unfair for any fielder wilfully to attempt, by word or action, to distract, deceive or obstruct either batter after the striker has received the ball.” Except on this occasion, Avesh Khan wasn't part of the fielding side, and there weren't any fielders attempting to stop the ball near the boundary ropes.

In the 13th over of SRH's innings, Klaasen looked to heave Romario Shepherd into the leg-side and was eventually caught by Phil Salt near the boundary ropes at the midwicket area.

Replays, however, were inconclusive, and it was difficult to say if a part of Salt's back was touching the boundary cushions. The dismissal was then upheld, and a displeased Klaasen walked back to the pavilion.

"Hopefully, Green starts to bowl soon, and the combination will be slightly different. We batted really well, but finding that balance with the ball is really important. (On why Green can't bowl) That question you need to ask Cricket Australia," Rahane had said after KKR's defeat to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2026 opener.

Cricket Australia, though, replied that KKR was well aware Green would only be able to bowl after 10-12 days.

“Cameron has a lower back injury, which is being managed but requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period. Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to returning in around 10-12 days' time. KKR has been communicated with and is fully aware of this information,” a CA spokesperson said.

With the bat, Green has managed to score just 22 runs from three matches so far. KKR had acquired Green for ₹25.20 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

Tewatia, though, argued that a sticker on the bat was causing it to exceed the permitted width. However, the umpires still forced Tewatia to change the bat.

The gauge test has gained prominence in international cricket and the IPL. According to Law 5 of the MCC Laws of Cricket, the edges of a bat should be within 4 cm (1.56 inches), whereas the overall depth of the bat cannot exceed 6.7 cm (2.64 inches). The width of the bat cannot exceed 10.8 cm (4.25 inches).

Tewatia then changed the bat and managed to score 11 runs from 10 balls, while hitting a boundary.