Sunrisers Hyderabad star batter Ishan Kishan mocked the CSK fans and even playfully taunted them with a 'Whistle Podu' celebration after having guided the Sunrisers to a fixed spot in the playoffs.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad travelled to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai to clash against the home side, the Chennai Super Kings. Chennai Super Kings managed to bounce back in IPL 2026 after having lost the first few games in the competition.
The Sunrisers also needed this win to consolidate their hold on the top four spot in the IPL 2026 points table. With 16 points for the Sunrisers, no other team than the Rajasthan Royals can go past them; however, they will not slip from the top four positions in the points table.
Ishan Kishan mocks CSK with 'whistle podu' celebration.
His gestures giving me "Whistle podu, chal nikal lodu vibes" 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/nVCEMsSqnt https://t.co/udUSE9UXuP
— Thakursab (@Thakuryaarr) May 18, 2026
After the Super Kings posted a 180-run total in their innings, with Dewald Brevis being the pick of the scorers with 44 runs, the Sunrisers came out to chase 181 runs at Chepauk. Pat Cummins and Sakib Hussain's spells of 3/28 and 2/34 remained the best for the Men in Orange.
With Travis Head dismissed early and Abhishek Sharma also failing to score many runs, Ishan Kishan helped in the chase with a massive partnership alongside Heinrich Klaasen. Klaasen scored 47 before being dismissed, and Kishan's 70 helped SRH off to a formidable finish.
Ishan Kishan celebrated the win with a 'whistle podu' celebration before playfully gesturing towards the crowd in a pumped-up state as the Sunrisers celebrated their entry into the playoffs.
Also Read: Sacking incoming? Stephen Fleming breaks silence on his future as CSK head coach
CSK's chances to qualify for the playoffs depend on RR
Chennai's pathway into the playoffs of IPL 2026 has now faced many obstacles, as they have lost two consecutive games against the Lucknow Super Giants and the Sunrisers Hyderabad. This has obstructed their campaign, and in order to remain in contention, they will have to make sure that they win their final league game against the Gujarat Titans.
To seal that one final vacant spot in the playoffs, CSK will not only have to win their final match but also depend on the Rajasthan Royals to keep themselves in contention for the spot. The Super Giants should defeat the Royals to keep the Super Kings in contention, because a win for the Royals would make it tougher for the Kings.
Ruturaj Gaikwad praised Sanju Samson for his IPL 2026 performance.
Sanju Samson, the seasoned campaigner, was brought into the Chennai Super Kings lineup to cite a player who could excel at the top of the order while also substituting for MS Dhoni behind the stumps. However, Samson emerged as a full-time keeper in Dhoni's absence.
Playing alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad, Samson is the highest scorer for the Super Kings with 477 runs across 13 innings this season. He also scored two massive hundreds for the Super Kings this season.
Skipper Gaikwad praised Sanju for his fine contributions with the bat. He, however, admitted that scoring runs depends a lot on factors. This remark came after a promising 27-run start when he scored runs quickly while striking at over 200.
ALSO READ: MS Dhoni makes one final Chepauk appearance in 2026 as IPL retirement buzz grows louder
