The IPL gave us a form of cricket that satisfies our attention-spans. And now, it gave us a theory which is the frenziest of the frenzy.
In 2026, we’ve been given the honour of experiencing some of the craziest sports news history: A lemon, a cricket wicket, an allegation of a mystery, and the internet’s attempt to play detective like this is an episode of a TV crime thriller.
It all started during the last Sunrisers Hyderabad game against Chennai Super Kings. CSK were chasing 194 and were relying heavily on Shivam Dube, who was still there at the crease when they got to the tense last overs of the match.
‘Mere ko toh aisa dhak dhak horela hai’ hour.
That’s when our cameras focused on a SRH fan who was performing what appeared to be some weird form of a ritual in the stands. The fan was holding onto the lemon, rotating it in his
hand, mumbling to himself, and moving his hands in a way as if he was trying to communicate with the game.
Moments later, Shivam Dube got out.
Thus began, as expected, a theory completely lacking logic, took over on Indian social media.
Within minutes, videos of the fan went viral, Twitter timelines were flooded with “Is this black magic in IPL???” and the lemon had more posts than half the XI.
The madness moved into Phase 2.
A letter supposedly sent by the Chennai Super Kings to the BCCI began circulating on social media. The supposed claim from those in SRH’s fan base was that they had been partaking in “occult practices,” and performing some weird movements, inferential hand gestures, and behaviour of that nature which had caused harm to an individual in the playing side.
Then, just when the story was about to peak, Lalit Modi logged in.
The former IPL commissioner reacted to the viral chatter with a post that read:
“Black magic or coincidence? Or fake news.”
Fair enough, but then he went on to further elaborate and post something much juicier:
“Seems fake this time. But one team owner did indulge in this type of practice.”
Then, to take the speculation even further, he stated:
“I remember I posted some team owner doing this to the opposing team… in opposing team dressing room… back in 2011 season. I had concrete proof.”
He also added that he might reveal more details in a future movie or TV series, which is exactly the kind of cliffhanger line this saga deserved
The social media world has gone from asking “Did a lemon cause Shivam Dube to get out” to the much larger question of “Who was the IPL owner that Lalit Modi was referring to?”
You would have had no trouble whatsoever figuring out who Lalit Modi was referring to once you spent just a few minutes online, due to the fact that it’s almost a given at this point… Rajasthan Royals.
No one named them directly, and Lalit Modi certainly didn’t! The internet collectively has put on their detective hats and connected every dot known to man with supreme confidence, like a group of individuals who watched three episodes of CID.
So what gives, why do many people presume the information Lalit Modi provided points to the Rajasthan Royals?
First off, they are from Rajasthan! Lalit Modi has had an established history with the people in charge of Rajasthan cricket since the very beginning of his rise to prominence within Indian cricket power circles. That’s why many people online believe that if he was releasing a clandestine reference about a historical franchise ecosystem, Rajasthan would probably be one of the locales that he is most familiar with.
The Rajasthan Royals have always had a complicated place within IPL folklore because they were the underdog that won the first ever IPL despite overwhelming odds against them and since then they have been surrounded by enough intrigue and controversy in their ownership, boardroom politics, suspensions and all over the years.
They remain a staple within any IPL conspiracy thread that involves clubs that were there during the original IPL era.
When old IPL stories surface, RR is generally a suspect.
Third, the 2011 timeline fits the era when Rajasthan Royals were still one of the most talked-about original franchises navigating the league’s early power politics. Fans online have latched onto that timing and treated it like a clue board.
The real motivation in creating the conspiracy theory has more to do with the psychology associated with gossip. When someone publicly acknowledges that there is a big story, but refuses to give the name of who was involved, then everyone eagerly starts to fill the void and look for the most likely suspects. As there is no shortage of drama associated with RR’s long and tumultuous association with IPL, they are a popular candidate for public opinion to subscribe to.
What took place on the field of play? SRH staged a clutch win.
However, if a fan in the crowd has a lemon, none of the above matters.
Because today’s IPL is not about just playing cricket, it is about entering into a different time zone.
A fan in seat G can be the hero of the story.
An unproven letter can quickly become trending subject matter on the internet.
That’s why IPL will remain historically unrivalled as a ‘Cultural Machine.’
Will Lalit Modi ever reveal the name?
Maybe in a movie. Maybe in a TV series. Maybe in a tweet at 2:13 AM.
The last one seems the most probable at the moment.
Toodlessss.