The first controversy of IPL 2026! Klassen furious over ‘controversial’ border capture

NEW DELHI: The opening weekend of the new IPL season didn’t take long for the first flashpoint when a controversial boundary call overshadowed an otherwise dominant victory for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!The incident took place in the 14th over of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s match when Heinrich Klassen Attempt to complete a short pass from Romario Shepard. The ball flies towards deep mid-wicket and Phil Salter falls under it near the boundary pad.When Salter completed the catch, replays made one wonder if his foot had grazed the boundary sponge. A third umpire, Rohan Pandit, checked the limited angles and found no significant movement of the cushion, then ruled Klassen out.However, subsequent visuals fueled the debate by suggesting a slight movement of the pad bearing the Kingfisher logo. The controversy deepened when a top-corner replay appeared after the broadcast was interrupted, sparking widespread concern.watch:former england captain Michael Vaughn Publicly questioning the decision: “It seems to me that the foot has come into contact with the boundary sponge… That’s a big decision… Don’t know how one can give that and be absolutely sure that no part of the foot has come into contact with the sponge.”Despite a strong partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and stand-in captain Ishan Kishan, the dismissal proved crucial and hampered SRH’s momentum. Klassen had a heated exchange with the on-field officials near the boundary as the third umpire reviewed the replay.

Kohli helps RCB win after emotional tribute

Amid the controversy, Royal Challengers Bangalore posted a superb performance of 202 runs in just 15.4 overs, powered by Virat Kohli’s old-school knock.Kohli remained unbeaten on 69 off 38 balls, hitting 5 fours and 5 sixes, including a straight drive that had the Bengaluru crowd in stitches.Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 201/9 with Kishan leading the way with a flowing 80. Debutant Jacob Duffy impressed for RCB with figures of 3/22, dismissing the key top-order batsman.Later, Shockers stand-in Devdutt Padikkal turned the tables with his 61 off 26 balls and scored 101 runs with Kohli.The match was also emotionally charged, with players observing a minute’s silence and wearing black armbands in memory of the 11 fans who died in a stampede during last year’s celebrations.