NEW DELHI: The opening weekend of the new IPL season did not take long to deliver its first flash point, a contentious challenge overshadowing an otherwise dominant win by Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!The incident took place in the 14th over of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s innings when Heinrich Klaasen tried to pull a short delivery from Romario Shepherd. The ball flew towards deep mid-wicket where Phil Salt settled under it near the boundary pads.
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Axar Patel questions Impact Player rule: ‘All-rounders lose value’ While Salt completed the catch, the records raised doubts as to whether his foot brushed against the boundary sponge. The third umpire, Rohan Pandit, examined the limited angles and saw no visible movement of the cushions before sending off Klaasen.However, subsequent visuals indicated slight movement in the “Kingfisher” logo pillow, which intensified the debate. Controversy deepened when an overhead replay appeared after the broadcast had stopped, prompting widespread scrutiny.Watch:Former England captain Michael Vaughan publicly questioned the decision: “It looked to me like the foot touched the boundary sponge… that’s a big challenge… I’m not sure how you can give it and be absolutely sure that no part of the leg touched the sponge.”The dismissal proved crucial and halted SRH’s momentum despite a strong partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and stand-in captain Ishan Kishan. Klaasen was seen having an animated exchange with the referees on the pitch near the boundary as the third official checked the records.
Kohli powers RCB to victory after emotional tribute
Amid this controversy, Royal Challengers Bengaluru put in a commanding performance as they chased down 202 in just 15.4 overs, powered by a retro knock from Virat Kohli.Kohli remained unbeaten on 69 off 38 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes, including a huge direct hit that electrified the Bengaluru crowd.Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 201/9 with Kishan leading the charge with a smooth 80. Debutant Jacob Duffy impressed for RCB with figures of 3/22, removing key top-order batsmen.Substitute Devdutt Padikkal then turned the chase on its head with a blistering 61 off 26 balls to add 101 runs with Kohli.The game also carried an emotional weight, with players holding a minute’s silence and donning black armbands in memory of the 11 fans who died in a stampede during last year’s celebrations.
