IPL 2026: Ravichandran Ashwin defends Ishan Kishan over Chepauk celebration, urges fans to embrace

Former Chennai Super Kings player Ravichandran Ashwin said that fans should take Ishan Kishan’s provocative celebrations at Chepauk in stride, urging them to leave their egos behind and embrace the inherent drama of sport. After Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win over CSK, which secured their berth in the playoffs, Kishan triggered a massive backlash online by mimicking CSK’s iconic Whistle Podu gesture and also gesturing to the crowd at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to pack up and leave.

While the Chennai faithful flooded social media to condemn the act as arrogant, Ashwin adopted a sensible approach, viewing the incident as an unfiltered entertainment rather than spite. The off-spinner questioned why a piece of on-field theatre had been elevated to a matter of personal insult.

“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 did 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,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

“Every player here represents India in cricket. A player has come and celebrated in front of you – why bring ego into it? Leave it, enjoy it. If all this is not there, then where is the fun? Where is the drama?,” he added.

While Ashwin was quick to defend the emotional nature of the outburst, he did concede that the wicketkeeper-batter walked a fine line with his direct engagement with the stands. Having conquered one of the toughest venues to visit, Kishan’s emotions were understandably high after his match-winning effort.

“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,” Ashwin said.

“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,” Ashwin said. “But do it in a very respectful manner,” he concluded.