IPL 2026 had its first controversy within the very first match. During the SRH innings against RCB, Heinrich Klaasen was given out caught on the boundary by Phil Salt. And the decision left many unconvinced.

It happened on the first ball of the 14th over. Romario Shepherd bowled short, and Klaasen swung hard. The ball sailed towards the deep mid-wicket boundary, where Salt took the catch. On-field umpires referred to the third umpire to check if Salt touched the boundary cushion.

Third umpire Rohan Pandit reviewed the replays. But, he had only had two camera angles to work with. He felt the boundary cushions had not moved and declared Klaasen out.

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However, several replays appeared to show the cushion bearing the Kingfisher logo shifting slightly, possibly due to contact with Salt's shoe. Social media erupted immediately.

Many fans felt Salt had clearly touched the rope, and the ball should have been called a six. Others argued the movement was just a shadow.

When Star Sports shared a clip of the catch, it only added to the confusion. The clip had a caption: “What just happened?”

In the clip, the third umpire apparently said, “Back is touching the cushion. I’m ready with my decision.” Then, it was shown OUT on the giant screen.

But, on JioHotstar Match Highlights, the third umpire was heard saying, “I don’t see any movement on the cushion.”

“It was not out, or you have to show the exclusive footage,” wrote a social media user.

“It's clearly not out,why not having cam on back side??? It's very shame to give a decision like this,” reacted another user.

Another user wrote, “There was doubt over this catch. Even the third umpire did not have footage from the backside angle. It seemed like he too made the on-screen decision in haste.”

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. LiveMint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

RCB vs SRH: What happened in yesterday’s match? The tournament opener took place at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Bengaluru launched their IPL 2026 title defence in style.

SRH posted 201/9 in 20 overs, with interim captain Ishan Kishan blazing 80 off 38 balls. Aniket Verma contributed a handy 43 off 18 while Heinrich Klaasen added 31. For RCB, Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd were the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets each.

Devdutt Padikkal set the tone with a blistering 61 off just 26 balls. Captain Rajat Patidar chipped in with 31 off 12. Virat Kohli anchored the innings with an unbeaten 69 off 38, ensuring RCB crossed the line with 26 balls to spare.