During the IPL 2026 clash between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Ekana Cricket Stadium on May 7, Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran had a brief, tense exchange. Despite appearing heated, both players later clarified that there was no bad blood between them.
The incident unfolded in the 10th over of LSG’s innings when Krunal, a spin all-rounder, tested the left-hander with a sharp bouncer. After Pooran took a single, the two exchanged words and faced up to each other at the non-striker's end.
Another video surfaced a day later, in which Pooran and Krunal were seen having a chat, with the former making animated gestures before grabbing the latter by the collar.
The incident was quickly clarified by both players as playful banter rather than a serious altercation, occurring between friends who previously played together.
Taking to Instagram, Krunal shared a picture with Pooran and captioned it as, “No lafda (no trouble), only love. Congrats to my bro @nicholaspooran on completing 100 IPL games. Proud of you, brother, many more to come. Btw, how was the bouncer?"
Pooran also responded in the comments section to dismiss the suggestions of personal animosity. “Only love here, guys. One of my best mates," he wrote.
Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran were part of the dressing room at Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) during the 2023 and 2024 IPL seasons. They are known to share a close friendship off the field even after Krunal moved to RCB in 2025.
