A viral video showed an SRH fan performing a lemon ritual moments before Shivam Dube’s dismissal, prompting “black magic” jokes online.
A fake complaint letter, allegedly from Chennai Super Kings to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, circulated widely, adding to the buzz.
Lalit Modi dismissed the letter as fake but hinted at past instances of superstition in the IPL, keeping the debate alive.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) season is underway in India, with cricket fever at its peak as fans closely follow their favourite teams. However, only one team can emerge as the winner. Amid this excitement, a bizarre incident involving one of the most popular teams, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), caught everyone’s attention during their clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday, April 18, 2026—a match that ended in a victory for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While fans expected match highlights to dominate social media, an unusual moment stole the spotlight. During the game, an SRH supporter was seen performing a ritual with a lemon in the stands. Around the same time, Sakib Hussain bowled a fast delivery that Shivam Dube completely missed, leading to his dismissal. The fan was seen holding the lemon, appearing to chant something and making gestures just before the stumps were knocked over—prompting many online to jokingly call it “black magic.”
The video quickly went viral, sparking a wave of reactions on social media. Users shared humorous takes, with one writing, “Black magic ya bowling magic? Batsman samjha easy ball hai… next moment stumps gayab,” while another joked, “When tactics fail, bring the lemon magic.” Some even quipped that while the match was between CSK and SRH, “the real game was happening in the stands.”
After this, the story took another turn. A letter allegedly from CSK went viral, with the subject reading: “Complaint regarding unfair and supernatural practices by audience affecting CSK players during SRH vs CSK match on April 18, 2026.” The letter was said to be addressed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and screenshots of it were widely shared along with the viral video.
Social media users reacted strongly—some questioned CSK over the letter, while others made fun of it. One user wrote, “Basically, they are against freedom of speech! Unbelievable.” Another commented, “A five-time IPL champion team lodging a complaint against black magic???” In a humorous take, one user wrote, “CSK really filed a complaint instead of booking that guy for every match. Next auction category: All-rounder, Finisher… and one full-time priest.”
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However, the story did not end there. The letter was later found to be fake and created by fans. Former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi reacted to the viral post on April 10, 2026, calling the complaint fake. He wrote, “Seems fake this time. But one team owner did indulge in this type of practice,” while sharing the video.
In a separate post, he recalled a past incident from the 2011 season, claiming that a team owner had allegedly performed similar rituals in an opponent’s dressing room. He stated that he had informed team owners at the time and hinted at revealing more details in a future project.
With this, what began as a light-hearted viral moment turned into a broader discussion. While the “black magic” angle was largely treated as a joke, the timing of the fan’s actions and the wicket made it seem unusually coincidental to many viewers. Overall, the IPL season continues to dominate social media conversations, and this bizarre moment has gone viral, with fans jokingly calling it “black magic” or a “voodoo ritual.”
[VP]
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