The IPL 2026 match between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru witnessed a major controversy over Jason Holder‘s catch to dismiss Rajat Patidar. Patidar top-edged a pull shot off the bowling of Arshad Khan as the ball flew towards deep square leg. Holder dived after charging in from the boundary and completed a low catch. However, Virat Kohli was not convinced by the catch and he was seen having an animated discussion with the fourth umpire over the ball touching the ground. The RCB camp seemed convinced that Holder did not collect the ball properly but the decision was not overturned. Former India spinner R Ashwin weighed in on the controversy and gave a clear verdict on the dismissal.
“Jason Holder’s hands is twice as big as mine. In his hands, the ball almost disappears. So, even if you guys can see the ball through the gap in his fingers, that does not mean that the ball has hit the floor. He has probably wrapped it around. The ball, perhaps, did not touch the ground,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The dismissal proved to be a major moment in the match and RCB ended up losing the match by 4 wickets. However, Ashwin said that as a neutral, it looked like a completely fair catch.
“If you are on the RCB side, you might feel that he is unlucky. If you look at it from the GT side, it is a clean out. But if you are viewing it as a neutral, it is completely fair catch,” he added.
RCB, after a strong start led by Virat Kohli, suffered a dramatic collapse and were bowled out for 155 in 19.2 overs, with Arshad Khan (3/22), Rashid Khan (2/19), and Jason Holder (2/29) sharing the spoils.
In response, GT got off to a blazing start with Shubman Gill (43 off 18 balls) and Jos Buttler (39 off 19 balls) attacking from the outset. Despite losing quick wickets in the middle overs, Rahul Tewatia (27) and Rashid Khan guided the Titans past the target, sealing a disciplined win.
(With ANI inputs)