The first week of the Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed several great performances coupled with poor team results and controversies

After months of waiting, the first week of the IPL passed in the wink of an eye, and the tournament has entered its second week. However, before the Monday evening game begins, let us recall the highlights of the first week, which ran from March 28 to April 5.

From best performances to controversies, here’s a glance at what happened in the first week of the IPL.

Best batting performance

Ravi Shastri just dropped a banger 🎙

He said ; Today, no one would be happier than Rohit Sharma !! After seeing that he has transformed the mindset of players like Sameer rizvi from playing slowly to now playing with a fearless approach🗿🔥pic.twitter.com/7aPrYykofv

— Gillfied⁷ (@Gill_Iss) April 1, 2026

In our book of thoughts, Sameer Rizvi’s 91 off 52 balls against a much more experienced and settled Mumbai side was the best batting performance in the opening week of the tournament. Despite the early hiccups, Sameer Rizvi played a brilliant innings and saved the Capitals for the second time in the first week, having scored 70 off 47 in the match against Lucknow Super Giants. It is no surprise that Rizvi is leading the Orange Cap race.

Best bowling performance

Ravi Bishnoi used to be the best spin allrounder in T20 .

Some great people did their favouritism in the team and bringed Varun and kuldeep over Ravi Bishnoi

Now you can see how they've perform in IPLpic.twitter.com/pdl3bQdxga

— Dilkesh (@Dilkesh1807) April 4, 2026

Leading the Purple Cap, Ravi Bishnoi undoubtedly played one of the most impactful roles with the ball in the game versus the Gujarat Titans. He not only removed Sai Sudharsan, who was playing a destructive innings, but also destroyed Gujarat’s middle order, which saw the Royals win the game by a narrow margin of six runs. Bishnoi ended the game with a figure of 4/41.

Teams with no points

RCB - TABLE TOPPERS OF IPL 2026. pic.twitter.com/ghrBr4v5iL

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 5, 2026

The first week of the IPL also witnessed poor performances from three teams, who lost back-to-back matches. Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders lost two matches in a row, whereas Chennai Super Kings have faced defeat in the first three games of the tournament. With the net run rate in the minus, a turnaround for these three teams seems highly unlikely.

Controversies

IPL, in its very first week, had several controversial moments. Once again, Sanjeev Goenka received severe flak from fans after he was seen in a fiery discussion with Rishabh Pant and Justin Langer. In another game, there was a huge verbal altercation between Prince Yadav and Tristan Stubbs.

The terror of Goenka was real… Rishabh Pant went full tuk-tuk mode, completed fifty... refused to gift his wicket… and calmly carried the team home. pic.twitter.com/QZtkXVSr08

— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) April 5, 2026

Umpiring decisions were also questioned after Heinrich Klassen was given out after Phil Salt took his catch near the boundary, with many pointing out that Salt’s foot had touched the boundary sponge. Yet, the umpire showed Klassen the way to the dugout. Last but not least, the first week also witnessed several bat-gauge incidents in which bats were thoroughly checked by the umpire, including Rohit Sharma's bat.