The Indian Premier League (IPL) guarantees entertainment, and what better way to stir things up than a contentious catch? The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) match kicked the IPL 2026 season off, and within the first 14 overs, we have a controversy on our hands.
With RCB well placed after Jacob Duffy’s masterful bowling in the powerplay, SRH really need to put the foot on the pedal. Interim captain Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen had taken them from 29/3 in 4.2 overs to 126/3 in 13 overs, adding 97 runs in just 52 balls.
While one can’t say SRH was on top, they were on the cusp of reaching parity. Klaasen was taking his time while Kishan was taking charge. But now, the wicketkeeper batter was well set. It was time to explode with 7 overs left. 200 was very much on the cards.
Phil Salt’s boundary catch controversy
RCB captain Rajat Patidar brought Romario Shepherd on for his second over, after the West Indian had already gone for 16 in his previous one. And he struck on the first ball. Klaasen pulled a short ball towards midwicket, and Phil Salt caught it. But it wasn’t so simple.
The catch didn’t look clean. Salt fell over despite getting under the ball comfortably. Replays showed that Salt’s foot was near the cushions. The third umpire, Rohan Pandit, checked a couple of times but, for whatever reason, didn’t zoom towards the back side or ask for the other angle.
One couldn’t see the shadow of Salt’s foot for just a second, which suggested that he had touched the boundary cushion. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was among those who felt it as well. Vaughan believed that the cushion had even moved.
The catch was the turning point. It changed all of the momentum. In the next 4.4 overs, they lost 4 more wickets, and scoring 200 became nothing short of impossible. SRH and Klaasen can rue that moment if they lose, and you can’t even say that they’ll be wrong to do so.
