Ishan Kishan was the star for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as they defeated the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their recent IPL 2026 tournament on Monday, May 18. With this win, SRH qualified for the playoffs and also helped the Gujarat Titans do the same.
CSK struggled their way to 180/7 in 20 overs, with Dewald Brevis (44), Kartik Sharma (32), and Shivam Dube (26) being the major scorers. Pat Cummins took three wickets for SRH. In reply, Ishan Kishan (70) led the chase, along with Heinrich Klaasen (47) being the star scorer as SRH achieved the target with 5 wickets in hand and one over to spare.
After the match, Ishan Kishan was seen whistling towards the CSK crowd in Chennai, doing CSK’s trademark whistle podu celebrations. He was also seen making get-out gestures towards the crowd and fist-pumping in joy.
R. Ashwin has now entered the social media frenzy over Ishan Kishan's controversial celebrations at Chepauk, advising irate supporters to set aside their pride and accept the turmoil that comes with professional sports.
Ashwin has taken a practical stance, seeing the incident as raw, unedited amusement rather than malice, while Chennai devotees have taken to social media to denounce the behavior as "arrogant" and "disrespectful."
"I want to talk about the super reliable player of the day, Ishan Kishan. But I won't go too deep into it. A lot is being discussed on social media about the celebration he had after the match. Let it go, yaar (friend). These are all sportsmen; emotions are part of the game. Don't take it personally; enjoy it,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
He further questioned why a piece of on-field theater had been elevated to a matter of personal insult.
"Every player here represents India in cricket. A player has come and celebrated in front of you – why bring ego into it? Leave it and enjoy it. If all this is not there, then where is the fun? Where is the drama?” Ashwin argued.
However, Ashwin also cautioned Kishan to tone down the celebrations as he walked a fine line with his direct engagement with the stands.
"Maybe next time, Ishan can keep the celebration a little more controlled, especially with what he said towards the crowd. I mean, can it be avoided? It can be. But I enjoyed it. It's not easy for another team to come to someone else's home ground and beat a team like [CSK]. But they did it, right? After such a big loss in the previous game, they came back and won this. Let it go. A sportsman is telling you, 'I have come to your home ground and beaten you.' That's all.
Keep it in mind as fans and as a team—next time go to Hyderabad and beat them there, then give it back. But do it in a very respectful manner,” Ashwin added.
SRH will now aim to finish in the top two in the points table. They will face table toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 22 in Hyderabad.
