IPL 2026: Avesh Khan’s celebration in LSG win over SRH sparks controversy; BCCI rules explained

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Avesh Khan found himself in the middle of a controversy during his team's IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad on Sunday.

After LSG skipper Rishabh Pant hit the winning runs against SRH, Avesh Khan, who was sitting in the dugout near the boundary ropes, hit the ball back into the ground seemingly before the ball could reach the boundary.

According to Cricbuzz, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) could formally lodge a complaint with the BCCI regarding the matter, as well as a couple of other instances.

In this case, Avesh Khan was part of the batting side on this occasion, and not the fielding side. This is why he has probably not "obstructed" his teammate, Rishabh Pant, by hitting the ball back onto the ground.

However, it is up to the umpires to decide if Avesh's action constitutes "unfair play" against the fielding side, as it technically would have prevented the fielders from stopping the ball. However, on this occasion, there were no fielders near the boundary rope attempting to stop the ball from racing away to the boundary.

According to IPL Playing Conditions' rule 2.11, players in the dugout (which includes the next batters or those who are already dismissed) are technically considered off the field and are strictly prohibited from touching the ball while it is in play. Should the player in question do so, then the opposing team must be awarded five penalty runs under Rule 24.4 of the IPL playing conditions (Player returning without permission).

In this instance, though, there was no doubt that the ball was travelling to the boundary ropes, and most importantly, there were no fielders trying to stop the ball.

Also, LSG needed just one run to win from two balls, and even before the ball could reach Avesh, the batters in the middle had already completed a physical run. This is LSG's first win of the IPL 2026 season, after having lost to Delhi Capitals (DC) in their season opener.

LSG won the toss and opted to field first. Mohammed Shami struck twice in the power play to restrict SRH to 24/4. However, a 116-run stand between Heinrich Klaasen (62) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (56) for the fifth wicket helped SRH counter-attack, as they posted 156/9 on the board.

Skipper Rishabh Pant led from the front in their reply with an unbeaten 68 as the visitors completed a five-wicket win with just one ball to spare. Apart from Pant, Aiden Markram (45) converted his start into a significant knock, even though he fell short of a half-century.