Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran (x) Lucknow Super Giants batsman Nicholas Pooran and Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Krunal Pandya were involved in a brief on-field exchange during the thrilling IPL 2026 encounter in Lucknow on Thursday. The moment came during a high-pressure clash with LSG, who desperately need a win to keep their play-off hopes alive. Pooran, who returned to form with an important knock against Mumbai Indians in the previous game, was again promoted to No.3 at a crucial stage of the innings. Krunal played a direct role in bringing the left-hander to the crease after dismissing opener Arshin Kulkarni earlier in the innings. The RCB spinner immediately tried to unsettle Pooran with a surprising 119kmph bouncer on the very first delivery he faced. The LSG batsman looked taken aback by the pace and bounce and failed to make any connections. Krunal followed it up with another short ball on the next delivery. This time Pooran managed to get the bat on him and collected a single. However, after completing the run, Pooran made his way towards Krunal and had a few words with his former teammate. The interaction briefly looked heated on camera before both players quickly moved on, with Krunal returning to his bowling mark to continue the game. Interestingly, the two players share a common history in LSG, having previously played alongside each other before Krunal moved to RCB. The match itself turned into a run-fest despite several rain interruptions, making it a 19-overs-a-side contest. Mitchell Marsh starred for LSG with a sensational 111 off just 56 balls as he smashed nine fours and nine sixes to power his team to 209 for 3. Marsh added 95 runs with Arshin Kulkarni and another 70 runs with Pooran who contributed 38 runs. LSG captain Rishabh Pant also chipped in with a quick unbeaten 32 off 10 deliveries. For RCB, Krunal finished with figures of 1 for 31 while Josh Hazlewood also claimed one wicket.
