An intriguing incident took place during last evening’s IPL 2026 match between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, when captain Rajat Patidar, head coach Andy Flower and batting coach Dinesh Karthik were left fuming during the drinks interval. As Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal hoped to catch a break, neither could spot the water bottle. Turns out that one of the on-field umpires was sipping water from the bottle meant for the RCB captain. Patidar was the first to spot it, and as Flower and Karthik’s eyes lay on the official, all three looked visibly miffed.
Patidar, Flower and Karthik confronted the umpire, much to the official’s amusement, before he tried to shift the blame. The umpire then pointed towards a third person, seemingly indicating that he was the one who had passed the bottle to him. The matter eventually diffused, but the fans on X had a field day.
Watch the incident below:
CSK no match for RCB
Patidar and Padikkal, along with Tim David, powered RCB to 250/3, their highest-ever IPL total. Phil Salt and Virat Kohli put on a quickfire 37-run stand before the former RCB captain was sent back. Salt scored 46 before he was dismissed, setting the platform for Patidar and Padikkal to seize control, adding 56 runs for the second wicket off 37 balls before the left-hander was dismissed for 50. Tim David then offered the final flourish, muscling 70 off just 25 balls, featuring eight sixes and three fours.
In reply, CSK put up a fight but fell 43 runs short, getting bowled out for 207. Their big bet, Sanju Samson, fell for a third consecutive low score, with only one batter in the top five managing to enter double digits. Sarfaraz Khan, bought for ₹75 lakh at the auction, scored a brisk 50 off 25 balls. Prashant Veer and Jamie Overton tried to give CSK a push in the death overs, but by then it was too late. Bhuvneshwar Kumar led RCB’s bowling reply, picking up 3/41, even as Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh, and Krunal Pandya returned two wickets each.
The win propelled RCB to the top of the IPL 2026 points table. Although Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings have also notched up two wins from two matches, RCB’s superior net run rate of 2.5 strengthens their position at the top. CSK, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the pile, suffering three defeats.
