Lockie Ferguson sees no wrong in Jamieson's wicket celebration of Vaibhav Sooryvanshi

IPL 2026: Lockie Ferguson defended Kyle Jamieson after the IPL cautioned him for his send-off to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The caution fed a wider debate over on-field aggression, while Ferguson also addressed Punjab Kings' bowling inconsistencies.

In Short

• Jamieson was punished for celebration after Ferguson wicket
• Ferguson believes emotional reactions are natural when wickets are hard-earned
• PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer labelled bowling execution off-par in first defeat of season.

Punjab Kings fast bowler Lockie Ferguson has come in defence of his countryman Kyle Jamieson after the latter was cautioned for his celebration towards 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The fast bowler was found in breach of the Indian Premier League Code of Conduct after dismissing Sooryavanshi during Delhi Capitals’ clash against Rajasthan Royals on Friday, May 1.

The incident occurred in the second over after Jamieson was struck for a boundary by Sooryavanshi off the very first ball. On the next delivery, Jamieson responded with a pinpoint yorker that beat the youngster and crashed into the stumps. Clearly pumped up after the dismissal, Jamieson wheeled away in celebration and locked eyes with Sooryavanshi as he walked back, his intense stare adding edge to the early breakthrough.

“Yeah, Kyle's a good mate of mine. He got pretty fired up, which is pretty understandable, not easy to get wickets in this part of the world, and that was a big one. So, I think it's part of the game,” Ferguson told India Today ahead of PBKS’ clash against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, May 3.

Ferguson, however, refrained from commenting on whether the guidelines were stricter for bowlers than for other outfield players. He did, however, reiterate that showing emotion is what makes the game engaging for fans.

“I think celebration, I think fans like to see the passion, so I can't comment on anything from a governing body point of view, but as a player, I think the passion coming out is great for the game. As a fan of the game, you like to see players getting passionate, players showing emotion, players being excited to take a wicket,” he added.

This comes after a debate sparked on social media over whether the governing body has been lenient towards batters and fielders showing aggression on the field, with fingers particularly pointed at Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s animated former captain, Virat Kohli.

Ferguson also made it clear that it is important to draw a clear boundary between what lies within the spirit of the game and what constitutes outright provocation.

“Obviously there are times maybe where it steps over the mark, but for the game of cricket, it shows how much the players love playing here, love competing,” he added. “And then when they have success, you can see the emotion coming out. He's obviously a big guy too, so when a big guy has a lot of emotions, it looks even bigger.”

BOWLING WOES A WORRY?

While the Kings have been smashing their way to victories and recording high run chases, their bowling has been sub-par with their executions, conceding 200-plus totals five times and 195 once in seven completed innings.

“So we're trying to execute, some days not so good, but at the same time, the skill sets that are involved with this bowling attack led by Arshdeep (Singh) and Yuzi (Chahal), I thought the spinners were fantastic last game,” Ferguson added. “So trying to make little adjustments, trying to tighten up in areas. We know within the IPL how small margins can look a lot bigger on TV, but we're just trying to tighten up on areas, try to double down on our planning.”

The return of Lockie Ferguson is a big boost for PBKS’ bowling department. He missed the initial part of the tournament to attend to family matters. PBKS next take on Gujarat Titans on Sunday, May 2, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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