Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s star player Phil Salt was a live wire on the field against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening game of the Indian Premier League 2026 on Saturday. The player took a total of three catches, with one of them sparking huge controversy. Heinrich Klaasen smashed a Romario Shepherd delivery high in the air on the leg side. Salt, who was fielding at deep mid-wicket, took the catch and rolled close to the boundary ropes while completing the tight grab.
The on-field umpire referred the decision upstairs, and the third umpire ruled it in favour of the fielding side.
Watch it here:
That’s not just a catch, that’s a full-on rollercoaster at the ropes
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— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 28, 2026
Here are some of the reactions:
Not out! The umpire is blind..!
— Shamshuddin Shaik (@shamshud777) March 28, 2026
Umpiring Blunder or Intentional?
Why was only ONE angle shown when there are 50+ cameras on the field? The one angle they provided literally shows Phil Salt touching the boundary rope. Absolute clownery in a high-stakes game. pic.twitter.com/SSiA7PqYsf
— Cricket Central (@CricketCentrl) March 28, 2026
It was clearly not out, the Kingfisher cushion was touched, millions of people saw it. I can’t believe they fixed this shit
— Swaroop (@swaroop7six) March 28, 2026
Controversy alert! Heinrich Klaasen dismissed on 31 after Phil Salt’s tumbling catch. Third umpire says OUT, but replays show possible rope contact – fans furious! SRH at 126/4. Game on fire! #IPL2026 #RCBvsSRH @HeinrichKlaasen
— Pankaj Rawat (@pankajrawat_16) March 28, 2026
SHOCKING: KLAASEN CAUGHT IN BOUNDARY CHAOS Stunning flip catch by Phil Salt dismisses Heinrich Klaasen for 31(22) off Romario Shepherd.
SRH at 126/4 in 13.1 overs during IPL 2026 opener vs RCB.
3rd umpire calls OUT-no clear rope evidence per review.
Klaasen visibly unhappy… pic.twitter.com/enxR5j92h5
— RAJAT (@RajatJain) March 28, 2026
SRH rode on captain Ishan Kishan’s fluent 80 off 38 balls and a blazing late flourish from Aniket Verma (43 off just 18 balls) to post 201/9 in their 20 overs against defending champions RCB in the IPL 2026 opening game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
Asked to bat first on a two-paced pitch, SRH lost three wickets in the powerplay, but a solid 97-run stand off 53 balls between an in-form Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen (31) steadied the innings. After that, SRH lost wickets in a cluster again, but thanks to Aniket’s sparkling cameo that showcased his six-hitting prowess, the side went past the 200-mark.
For RCB, Jacob Duffy shone on his IPL debut by executing his back-of-a-length deliveries well to pick up figures of 3/22, while Romario Shepherd grabbed 3/54. Put in to bat, SRH endured a jittery start. The innings began with drama right from the word go as Duffy removed Abhishek Sharma when a top edge on the pull was caught by Jitesh Sharma.
Duffy came back to have Travis Head pull straight to deep square leg and then dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy in the same fashion to give RCB the upper hand. Kishan then took charge, blending watchful defence with calculated aggression. He rebuilt the innings with crisp strokeplay, finding gaps and punishing loose deliveries from Abhinandan Singh and Suyash Sharma.
His fifty came off just 32 balls as he cleared the boundary ropes with ease in an innings laced with eight fours and five sixes. However, RCB bowlers continued to chip away, as Klaasen was caught by Phil Salt close to the boundary rope, though many felt he had touched the ropes.
After Suyash Sharma dismissed Salil Arora, Kishan’s departure for a sparkling 80 became a turning point, as Salt produced a full-stretch dive to his right to take a one-handed screamer off Abhinandan’s bowling.
With Harsh Dubey and Harshal Patel falling cheaply, Aniket turned the tide by launching a fearless counterattack laced with three fours and four sixes, punishing Shepherd ruthlessly. Though Shepherd dismissed Aniket in the 19th over, SRH managed to cross the 200-mark and set up a stiff chase for RCB under lights in front of their faithful Chinnaswamy crowd.
(With IANS inputs)