Foul play or umpire's mistake, ruckus on Klaasen's wicket, what is the rule?
Last Updated:
Heinrich Klassen phil salt controversial catch: Heinrich Klassen's wicket has come under controversy in the very first match of IPL 2026. The catch taken by RCB fielder Phil Salt at the boundary was given out by the third umpire, while in the replay, Salt's foot was seen touching the boundary rope. Many veterans including Michael Vaughan criticized this decision. Was it the umpire's haste or Salt's cunning? This incident has sparked a new debate in the entire cricket world.
Controversy in the first match of IPL.
RCB vs SRH Controversy: The very first match of IPL 2026 was going on. And the world's biggest cricket league got its first major controversy. In the match being played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the wicket of South African legend Heinrich Klaasen set social media on fire. A decision of the third umpire not only enraged Klaasen but also forced the stalwarts of the cricket world to start a debate. This incident happened on the first ball of the 14th over of Sunrisers Hyderabad's innings. RCB bowler Romario Shepherd bowled a fast short ball on Klaasen's body. Using his power, Klaasen played a big sweep shot. The ball went high and Phil Salt, posted at the deep mid-wicket boundary, set himself up to catch it. Salt took the catch, but he was very close to the boundary.
The field umpires sent the decision to third umpire Rohan Pandit. Initial replays were not completely clear. The third umpire looked at two different angles, but he was not satisfied. He was looking for a 'top angle' (view taken from above), which was not available at that time. Umpire Pandit felt that there was no movement in the boundary cushion and declared Klaasen out. As soon as Klaasen was given out, some angles were seen on the TV screen which raised questions on the umpire's decision. It could be clearly seen in the replays that the boundary cushion, which had the 'Kingfisher' logo on it, was moving slightly after coming in contact with Phil Salt's shoe.
Controversy in the first match of IPL.
