NEW DELHI: The opening weekend of the new IPL season didn’t take long to provide its first flashpoint, with a controversial boundary call overshadowing an otherwise dominant win for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!The incident came to light in the 14th over of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s innings Heinrich Klassen A short delivery from Romario Shepherd is tried away. The ball drifted towards deep midwicket where Phil Salt settled under it near the boundary cushion.When Salt completed the catch, replays raised doubts about whether his foot had brushed the boundary sponge. The third umpire, Rohan Pandit, examined the limited angles and saw no movement of the cushions before dismissing Klaasen.However, subsequent visuals indicated slight movement in the ‘Kingfisher’ logo cushion, fueling the debate. The controversy deepened when a top-angle replay came out after a break in the broadcast, prompting widespread scrutiny.See:Former England captain Michael Vaughn Publicly questioned the decision: “It looked to me like the foot touched the boundary sponge… That’s a big call… Not sure how you can give that and be sure no part of the foot touched the sponge.”The dismissal proved crucial, halting SRH’s momentum despite a strong partnership between Henrik Klaasen and stand-in captain Ishan Kishan. Klaasen was seen in a heated exchange with the on-field officials near the boundary as the third umpire reviewed the replay.
Kohli powered RCB to victory after an emotional tribute.
Amidst the controversy, Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced a brilliant performance to chase down 202 runs in just 15.4 overs with the help of a vintage innings from Virat Kohli.Kohli remained unbeaten on 69 off 38 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes, including a powerful straight that sent the Bangalore crowd into a frenzy.Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 201/9, with Kishan leading the charge with a fluent 80. Debutant Jacob Duffy impressed for RCB with figures of 3/22, removing key top-order batsmen.Impact substitute Devdutt Padikal then added 101 runs with Kohli, chasing it on his own with a 26-ball 61.The match also carried emotional weight, with players observing a minute’s silence and wearing black armbands in memory of the 11 fans who died in stampedes during last year’s celebrations.
