The 2026 IPL season has seen much more than just huge totals and nail-biting finishes. The season has witnessed events that left fans in awe and became viral on social media platforms instantly. Be it breaking
records on the field, emotional moments or off the ground controversy, IPL 2026 has kept people hooked at all times. These instances were either inspiring, astonishing or controversial. They came together to become some of the shocking moments of the IPL 2026 season so far.
A 15-year-old player rewrote the record books. The Punjab Kings made the biggest comeback in T20 history. Ravindra Jadeja moved fans to tears when he kissed the CSK logo. Phil Salt provided fans with an amazing catch. Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal landed in a brand new controversy. Here are the five shocking moments from IPL 2026 so far.
1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Stunning 37-Ball Century
No one has managed to shock the cricketing world like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The young boy of 15 years and 29 days played a match against the team of Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rajasthan Royals and smashed an unbeaten 103 from 37 balls.
Raw and Rebellious 💗 🎥 Watch every four and six from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's jaw-dropping 2️⃣nd #TATAIPL century 🍿#KhelBindaas | #RRvSRH | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/q4HbJVM3mu
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 26, 2026
His century came from only 36 balls and he was the third-fastest batsman to do that in the IPL. His batting was full of 12 sixes and five fours. With this batting, he set a record of becoming the youngest player to cross 1,000 runs in T20 cricket and the fastest one to achieve it in terms of deliveries faced at 473 balls. The teenager also became the first player to score two IPL centuries in under 40 balls.
2. Punjab Kings’ World-Record Chase of 265
History was created when Punjab Kings chased a target of 266 runs against Delhi Capitals in a match played at Arun Jaitley Stadium. It was the highest-ever successful chase in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), as well as the highest-ever successful chase in the history of T20 cricket. Opener Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya laid a foundation of 126 runs in just 42 balls.
No target was safe, no record was secure! 🚫 Two all-time Top 5 chases within hours of each other 🤯#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #DCvPBKS | #RRvSRH pic.twitter.com/LtyQ8hnU1C
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 26, 2026
Later on, skipper Shreyas Iyer sealed the victory with his unbeaten knock of 71 runs off 36 balls. Punjab won with seven balls to spare on 265/4. The chase broke their own IPL record of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024.
3. Ravindra Jadeja’s Emotional Kiss for CSK
The signing of Ravindra Jadeja by Rajasthan Royals was one of the major developments leading up to the tournament. However, the love that Jadeja had for Chennai Super Kings could not be ignored. When Rajasthan beat Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati, Jadeja met Khaleel Ahmed and kissed the CSK logo on his shirt. This act quickly became viral. Jadeja confessed later that joining a team after spending 12-13 years representing a particular franchise would be an "emotional" experience for him. His tribute melted hearts and reminded fans of his long association with Chennai.
4. Phil Salt’s One-Handed Screamer vs SRH
Chase moments seldom make the news in a scoring IPL tournament, but not for Phil Salt. In the match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Salt ran to the boundary and caught Kishan, who made an 80-ball knock of 80 runs, with a one-handed catch.
Phil Salt also got Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen out with his catches. The moment of Phil Salt was one of the most shared videos of the season and an early contender for catch of IPL 2026.
𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒! 🛑 🎥 Phil Salt with an absolute one-handed screamer at the ropes 🫡 Do we already have the Catch of the Season on Day 1 of #TATAIPL 2026 🤔 Updates ▶️ https://t.co/Eo5z0jh4K4 #KhelBindaas | #RCBvSRH |… pic.twitter.com/pPax3pVNt9
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 28, 2026
5. Viral Vaping Controversies
But some shocking incidents take place off the pitch. Yuzvendra Chahal became a topic of discussion following the surfacing of a video from Arshdeep Singh’s vlog that appeared to catch him vaping inside a Punjab Kings team plane.
The video was widely shared online once again raising controversy following one that had surrounded Rajasthan Royals captain, Riyan Parag early in the season. No official statement was issued by either Chahal or Punjab Kings about the issue.
