Phil Salt grabs one-handed stunner to end Ishan Kishan's stay in IPL 2026 opener | Watch
Phil Salt took a spectacular one-handed catch to dismiss Ishan Kishan in the IPL 2026 opener at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Kishan smashed 80 off 38 balls for SRH before Salt’s brilliant effort at deep backward point ended his knock.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener Phil Salt grabbed a stunning one-handed catch to end Ishan Kishan’s stay in the IPL 2026 opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Sunrisers Hyderabad captain proved to be a one-man army in the opening clash, smacking 80 runs off 38 balls, before Salt produced a magic of brilliance in the 16th over. The keeper-batter just opened the face of the bat and the ball was destined to reach the fence, but Salt sprinted across deep backward point, leapt to his right, and completed a stunning one-handed grab, producing what could go down as one of the best catches of the tournament.
Heinrich Klaasen catch controversy
Earlier in the match, Heinrich Klaasen’s dismissal triggered a social media buzz. The keeper-batter played a lofted shot, which was grabbed by Salt. However, he was extremely close to the ropes, with many believing that the shoe might have touched the rope. The on-field umpire wasn’t sure about it as well and the catch was eventually referred to the third umpire.
Rohan Pandit, who is serving as the third umpire, checked the footage multiple times and assessed that the boundary rope didn’t move, resulting in him giving out. However, it triggered controversy on social media as former KKR’s team director, Joy Bhattacharjya noted that the ball definitely touched the boundary rope.
“That looks like a shocker for third umpire Rohan Pandit. Salt's feet definitely touched the boundary cushions. I cannot believe he gave a possibly game-changing decision that quickly. SRH fans will be fuming,” he posted on X.
SRH post 201 runs
Hyderabad posted 201 runs in the first innings. After Kishan’s blitzkreig, Aniket Verma took over the show, smacking boundaries all across the park. The 24-year-old made 43 runs off just 18 balls, which gave Hyderabad the much-needed boost towards the back end of the match.
Bengaluru, however, will be confident of their chances. Chasing has always been easier at Chinnaswamy and on top of that, RCB enjoy an extremely strong batting unit.
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