![MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara [Source: AFP]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1780067096681_MS_Dhoni_and_Kumar_Sangakkara.jpg?type=hq)
MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara [Source: AFP]
The second qualifier of the IPL 2026 season began on a controversial note in New Chandigarh on Friday, May 29. At the toss, Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill spun the coin, with Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag calling heads.
Even though the Royals won the toss, match officials were prompted to spin the coin again as Parag’s call was “not loud enough”. The unexpected incidence drew much comparisons with a certain 2011 encounter between 2011 World Cup co-hosts India and Sri Lanka, in its final no less, at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
Here is a look at the incident that rocked India and Sri Lanka captains, MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara in the 2011 World Cup final even before the first ball was bowled.
MS Dhoni’s World Cup win marred by toss controversy
Back on April 2, 2011 in the final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Indian captain MS Dhoni and Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara arrived to the middle for the high-profile toss with commentator Ravi Shastri.
At the time, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai had not filled its 33,000-capacity yet.
Dhoni spun the coin and it had fallen heads. However, the moment led to instant confusion among officials, who alleged that they had not heard Kumar Sangakkara’s call at the time.
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The first toss was declared null and void, prompting match officials to conduct yet another toss. With MS Dhoni spinning the coin, Sangakkara once again called heads, with the coin falling in Sri Lanka’s favor.
The Sri Lankan skipper ended up winning the toss and opted to bat first. While the match turned out to be worthy of a final, the coin toss controversy remained a major talking point, with many fans puzzled by the unprecedented decision to conduct the toss twice on cricket’s grandest stage.
Interestingly, replays indicated that Sangakkara had also called ‘heads’ the first time as well, and his call was audible to the producers of the tournament broadcasters.
Similarities with 2026 IPL Qualifier 2
Over 15 years later at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill and Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag ran into similar confusion, albeit in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2026 season.
Much like MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara, Shubman Gill spun the coin and Riyan Parag called it heads. While the fallen coin did appear head, match officials called for a re-spin as Parag was “not loud enough” in his call.
Gill spun the coin again, and this time Rajasthan Royals once again won the toss with the ‘heads call’ and opted to bat first.
Another striking similarity between the two instances was the involvement of veteran commentator Ravi Shastri on both occasions. Both matches were also hosted by an Indian venue, and two occasions were also knockout fixtures of two high-profile tournaments.
Moreover, the then Sri Lanka captain is currently the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals franchise.
MS Dhoni struck the winning blow in 2011 World Cup final
Team India ended up winning the match by six wickets in 48.2 overs, with captain MS Dhoni launching the winning hit against Sri Lanka paceman Nuwan Kulasekara. The outcome marked India’s first World Cup win after a gap of 28 years.
Fortunately for India fans, the result ensured that the toss controversy faded into the background, with Dhoni’s iconic six becoming the enduring image of the night.
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