4 min readUpdated: May 1, 2026 11:23 AM IST
Controversy struck on Thursday evening at the Narendra Modi Stadium during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) match between hosts Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. RCB talisman Virat Kohli could be seen having some animated conversations with the fourth umpire in the minutes after a rather sensational catch by GT all-rounder Jason Holder resulted in Royal Challengers’ captain Rajat Patidar being dismissed on 19 off 15 balls.
The incident happened in the eighth over of the RCB innings. Arshad Khan’s fourth ball of the over was dug into the track on middle and leg stump, Patidar tried to meet it with a pull shot but the ball flew up off a top edge of his bat. Holder was stationed at deep square leg, he sprinted to his right while fast bowler Kagiso Rabada was also running to the same spot from short fine leg. Holder dove to his right and took the ball. The former West Indies captain then came down in a way that the ball in his hand touched the ground momentarily. The umpires deemed it a fair catch.
Virat Kohli left fuming at the catch
Kohli could be seen arguing with the fourth umpire all the way till the end of the over while Patidar hung around for some time after he initially seemed to have accepted his fate and walked off.
It’s heating up in Ahmedabad! 🔥#JasonHolder caught #RajatPatidar at the boundary, but the #RCB camp wasn’t convinced with the decision! 👀#TATAIPL 2026 ➡️ #GTvRCB | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/K8vuSzrZ1d pic.twitter.com/GwfAoIelDj
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 30, 2026
What the Laws of Cricket say
Law 33 deals with out caught dismissals and Law 33.2 lists out what is deemed to be a “fair catch”. According to Law 33.2.2, a catch will be deemed fair if “the ball is held in the hand or hands of a fielder, even if the hand holding the ball is touching the ground, or is hugged to the body, or lodges in the external protective equipment worn by a fielder, or lodges accidentally in a fielder’s clothing.”
Now while the replays seem to show that Holder seemingly grounding the ball at first glance, the same footage also indicates the Jamaican keeping some part of his hand between the ball and the ground which may have been what led to the umpires deeming the catch fair.
What Holder said about the catch
Holder had a stellar night overall with the ball and in the field. Patidar was one of three RCB batters to have been out caught by Holder. The all-rounder also took two wickets for 29 runs in his four overs. RCB were all out for 155 after which Holder had a conversation with the host broadcasters. “For me, I just committed to it,” said Holder about the catch and about the possibility of colliding with Rabada while going for it. “And when I first went to the area, it was trying to just sight down and pick it up. But after I picked it up, I realized it was a chance, and just thankfully we didn’t collide. But for me, I wasn’t going to pull out of it. And I just wanted to make sure that one of us got to it and gave a good effort.”
