IPL 2026: McClenaghan defends Jamieson’s ‘natural’ send-off to Sooryavanshi

Jaipur, May 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan has defended Delhi Capitals (DC) pacer Kyle Jamison's aggressive send-off to Rajasthan Royals' young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after taking his wicket, stating that it was a natural reaction that came because of the value the 15-year-old brings.

Sooryavanshi, who struck the first ball boundary to Jamieson, was bowled in the next by the New Zealand pacer and was given a fiery send-off.

Jamieson had an animated celebration after dismissing a 15-year-old Sooryavanshi. After getting Vaibhav out, Jamieson clapped aggressively in front of the young player and sent him off in a fiery manner. However, McClenaghan feels that there was a bit of Kiwi flair in that send-off.

“It was a big moment in the game, and you could see the emotion in that celebration. When you’re up against a young batter who has been dominating bowlers throughout the tournament, getting his wicket early brings that natural reaction," McClenaghan told Jio Hotstar.

"There’s a bit of Kiwi flair in it as well, being fired up in a key moment. And to be fair, when you go in expecting to be under pressure and instead get the breakthrough quickly, that surprise and intensity often comes out in the celebration,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jamieson was handed a demerit point and received a warning for breaching Level 1 of the IPL's code of conduct for Players and Team Officials for the aggressive reaction.

Jamieson was found to have breached Article 2.5 of the IPL's Code of Conduct, which relates to "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from another player in the match."

"The incident occurred in the second over of the first innings, when, after dismissing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Jamieson was found to be close to him in an aggressive manner, which could have provoked an aggressive reaction from the batter," IPL said in a statement released on Saturday.

Speaking of the match, Rajasthan Royals scored 225/6 with Riyan Parag scoring 90 off 50 and Donovan Ferreira remaining unbeaten on 47 off 14 before Mitchell Starc (3/40) brought it back with some crucial strikes.

KL Rahul (75 off 40) and Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33) anchored DC's chase with a commanding 110-run opening stand that kept the visitors ahead of the required rate.

Tristan Stubbs (18) and Ashutosh (25) were cool in the chase as DC, even with a big total in hand, completed the win with five balls to spare. This was the highest-ever run chase the franchise has achieved in IPL history.

Source: IANS