A recap of the action of the second week of IPL 2026.
Player Of The Week: Finisher Mukul Choudhary Steals The Show
Key Points
- Mukul Choudhary starred as Player of the Week with a match-winning late blitz to guide Lucknow Super Giants to a thrilling win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
- Sanju Samson scored a brilliant 115* to lead Chennai Super Kings to their first win, ending a long home losing streak.
- Shreyas Iyer led Punjab Kings to a successful 220 chase with a match-winning 69 not out.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi registered his first failure with a golden duck against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- Sherfane Rutherford's late 71 went in vain as MI fell short in one of the longest IPL matches.
Young batting star Mukul Choudhary's sensational late assault helped Lucknow Super Giants snatch a stunning victory from the jaws of defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in a thrilling IPL 2026 match in Kolkata on April 9, 2026.
21-year-old Choudhary turned the game on its head with fearless hitting, smashing two sixes and a four, including a flat hit over long leg.
A self-confessed fan of the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Choudhary single-handedly turned the game on its head.
When he came into bat, LSG were struggling on 95/4 with another 77 needed for victory from 50 balls and he ended up scoring 54 of them from just 27 balls, with seven sixes and two fours.
The turning point for Mukul came in the 17th over when he pulled Vaibhav Arora for a four and then unleashed the incredible 'Helicopter shot' -- whipping a full delivery with his powerful wrists for a six over long-on.
Mukul finished the job in grand style as he smashed Arora for two sixes in the final over before the two batters stole a bye off the final ball to snatch a stunning victory for LSG.
'God has given me this opportunity, there can be pressure but it is also an opportunity to make a name for myself. My aim was to bat till the last and see what happens,' he said after guiding LSG to their first win of the season.
Player Of The Week: Sooryavanshi Dismantles Mumbai Indians
It was a batting blitzkrieg for the ages as Rajasthan Royals' young opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ripped apart the Mumbai Indians' bowling attack in a rain-hit match in Guwahati on April 7, 2026.
MI endured one of their worst performances with the ball, suffering a thumping 27 run defeat against Rajasthan Royals.
Reduced to a 11-overs-a-side game following a two-and-a-half hour rain delay, the match turned into a batting masterclass by Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi.
15-year-old Sooryavanshi unleashed a fearless batting display, leaving one of the most experienced bowling attacks in the IPL completely shell-shocked. Not even the great Jasprit Bumrah was spared.
Sooryavanshi showed zero respect for Bumrah as he launched Bumrah's first ball for a huge six over long-on and then pulled a slower ball for another six over square leg.
The onslaught continued as the seasoned Trent Boult also came under heavy punishment in the third over with Jaiswal hitting him for back to back sixes and Sooryavanshi getting one to his name as it rained boundaries at the Barsapara stadium in Guwahati.
Jaiswal was not to be overshadowed. The left-hander smashed a blistering 77 not out from only 32 balls, with 10 fours and four sixes to power Royals to 150/3 in 11 overs.
The MI run chase never got going as Royals' pacers struck early blows. Rohit Sharma (5), Suryakumar Yadav (6) and Hardik Pandya (9) all perished for single digit scores with MI folding for 123/9 in their 11 overs to suffer their second defeat in a row.
Meanwhile, Royals blasted their way to the top of the standings with their third consecutive victory.
Samson masterclass breaks CSK's home jinx
Sanju Samson roared back into form with his first century for Chennai Super Kings to help the five-time champions open their account with a 23-run thrashing of Delhi Capitals at the Chepauk stadium on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
Samson, who had a difficult start to the season with three single-digit scores, played an explosive, high-authority knock and remained unbeaten on 115 off 56 balls, leading CSK to a commanding 212 for 2 and ending the team's six-match losing streak at home.
The fourth century of his IPL career was studded with 15 fours and four sixes.
After being put in to bat, CSK got off to a steady start before Samson took control. He reached his half-century in quick time and continued to dominate the Delhi bowlers with clean, confident strokeplay. He found strong support from Ayush Mhatre, who scored a fluent 59, as the pair built a big partnership to push CSK past the 200-run mark.
In reply, Delhi Capitals began well, with Pathum Nissanka scoring 41 and adding a quick opening stand with K L Rahul. However, regular wickets slowed their chase.
Jamie Overton turned the match with an impressive spell, taking four wickets for 18 runs. He removed key batters David Miller and Tristan Stubbs, who had kept Delhi in the contest with a fighting 60 off 30 balls.
Anshul Kamboj also played a key role, picking up three wickets as Delhi lost momentum in the middle overs. Despite Stubbs' late effort, Delhi were bowled out for 189 on the final ball.
The win lifted CSK's morale after three loses on the bounce, while Delhi Capitals slipped to their second loss.
The night belonged to Samson, who was under pressure to perform after a much-discussed swap deal also involving Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
How Miller's indecision proved costly for Capitals
David Miller's split-second decision at the death proved costly as Delhi Capitals went down by one run to Gujarat Titans in a dramatic clash at the Arun Jaitley stadium on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Needing two runs from the last ball, Miller refused a single off Prasidh Krishna on the penultimate ball. He missed the final delivery but ran for a single. However, Kuldeep Yadav, from the other end, was unable to beat Jos Buttler's direct throw after the two batters had crossed over.
The narrow win gave Gujarat Titans their first points of the season while Delhi Capitals suffered their first defeat after a strong start to the campaign.
Chasing 211, Delhi raced through the Powerplay and looked in control early on, thanks to Pathum Nissanka and K L Rahul. Nissanka made a breezy 41 while Rahul scored a stroke-filled 52-ball 92, hitting 11 fours and four sixes.
Gujarat fought back through Rashid Khan, who picked up three crucial wickets to stall the chase. Rahul continued to anchor the innings, but his dismissal in the 17th over shifted the balance.
Miller then took charge in the closing stages, striking boundaries and sixes to bring the equation down to 13 runs in the final over.
The South African smashed a six to keep Delhi's hopes alive, but the final moments turned chaotic and Titans held their nerves to pocket valuable points.
Shreyas Fires Punjab To Victory In Run-Fest
Shreyas Iyer led from the front with the bat to steer Punjab Kings to an emphatic six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a high-scoring match in New Chandigarh, Mullanpur, on April 11, 2026.
Shreyas helped Punjab continue their unbeaten run in IPL 2026, stroking a brilliant 69 not out off 33 balls as the hosts chased down a daunting target of 220 with as many as seven balls to spare.
His captaincy also came in for praise after his bowling change masterstroke turned the Sunrisers Hyderabad on its head as they stumbled after a blazing start.
Abhishek Sharma unleashed a brutal onslaught with a quickfire 28-ball 74, putting on a 120 run opening stand with Travis Head from just 8.1 overs.
Part-time medium pacer Shashank Singh turned out to be Punjab's unlikely saviour with the ball as he dismissed both Abhishek and Head in his second over.
SRH, who had smashed 105 runs in the Powerplay and were well placed on 120 for no loss in eight overs, lost their way in the middle overs and eventually finished on a below-par 219/6 on a flat wicket.
Punjab Kings also made an explosive start with both openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh hitting quickfire fifties as the duo raked up 93 in the Powerplay.
Arya blasted a 16-ball fifty -- the second fastest by a Punjab Kings batter in the IPL, while Prabhsimran hit 51 from 25 balls. Even though they lost three quick wickets, the experienced Shreyas guided them home.
KKR Log First Points After Washout
The struggling Kolkata Knight Riders logged their first points after their match against Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on April 6, 2026, was abandoned because of a wet outfield due to heavy rain.
KKR Captain Ajinkya Rahane's decision to bat first despite an initial spell of rain just before the toss, had left everyone stumped.
The washout came as a huge relief for KKR, whose decision to bat first backfired spectacularly.
KKR were struggling at 25 for 2 in 3.4 overs after Xavier Bartlett's two-wicket burst. He got the ball to swing and seam, removing opener Finn Allen for 6. Allen got an outside edge as he tried to swing at a fullish ball and caught behind by Prabhsimran Singh.
One ball later, Bartlett sent back compatriot Cameron Green (4), again caught behind, striking twice in the over and reducing KKR to 16 for 2 in 2 overs.
Promoted to No. 3 ahead of Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Green, the highest-paid overseas player at Rs 25.20 crore (Rs 252 million), continued his miserable showing in IPL 2026. having earlier managed scores of 18 (against Mumbai Indians) and 2 (Sunrisers Hyderabad).
An over and four balls later, rain interrupted play in the fourth over. The proceedings never restarted from there on end, despite the cut-off time getting moved up to 11.14 pm.
It was the first time in seven years that KKR had not fielded both their frontline spinners -- an unwell Sunil Narine and an injured Varun Chakravarthy.
The match also witnessed a relatively sparse turnout, with 29,358 spectators in attendance.
RCB hold off MI's late fightback in run-fest
Royal Challengers Bengaluru put on a massive 240 for 4 on the back of half-centuries from openers Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and Captain Rajat Patidar.
This after MI Skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first on a flat track.
Salt and Kohli made most of the Powerplay overs. Salt in particular gave the bowlers a real tonking. He took to the attack against the Kiwi bowling duo of paceman Trent Boult and spinner Mitch Santner -- hammering the latter for three consecutive sixes as RCB eventually raced to 71 in the first six overs.
They continued their assault in the following two overs before Shardul Thakur was called up to do what he does best. He broke the opening stand, having Salt caught at cover in the 11th over.
RCB's innings gained further impetus when Rajat Patidar (53 off 20 balls with five sixes and four fours) went hammer and tongs as he smashed around the ordinary MI bowling and completed his half-century in 17 balls.
His dismissal later, Kohli brought up a 37-ball 50 and even though RCB faced a brief stutter, Tim David closed off the innings with a 16-ball 34.
Chasing a record 241, MI openers Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma wasted no time in launching the bowlers. But in the 6th over, Rohit retired hurt with a hamstring injury.
Suryakumar Yadav walked in at No 3 and opened his innings with boundary -- MI reached 62 for no loss in 6 overs.
Two overs later, leggie Suyash Sharma removed a set Rickelton (37 off 22) and Tilak Varma (1) in the 8th over to start MI's slide.
Although Surya and Hardik went after the bowling, the required run-rate crept up to over 14 runs per over, that meant the match was always out of reach.
Impact Sub Sherfane Rutherford hit some powerful fours and sixes as he launched an attempted revival with a maiden IPL half-ton, hitting a 31-ball 71, but MI fell short by 18 runs.
With multiple reviews taken and 25 extras bowled, the over rate exceeded and the match ran 4 hours and 20 minutes long to become one of the longest in IPL history.
RCB now has most 200-plus scores in IPL history, breaching the 200-run mark 38 times, followed closely by CSK (37).
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