A controversial catch turns the tide – Varun Chakravarthy’s brilliant catch or just luck?

A controversial catch turns the tide – Varun Chakravarthy’s brilliant catch or just luck?

The IPL 2026 clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad had no shortage of drama. But one moment stood out from the rest — a catch that shifted the entire momentum of the match.

Abhishek Sharma was in fine form, looking to push SRH into a commanding position with some big hitting. He connected well with one shot down to deep square leg — the ball seemed to be racing to the boundary with four runs written all over it.

That’s when Varun Chakravarthy pulled off something special. He sprinted across, read the ball’s flight perfectly, and dived forward to take a stunning catch just before it hit the ground. It was the kind of effort that makes you rewind it on TV.

The crowd went wild, and so did the commentators. The wicket was a huge one for KKR — and from that point, the match began to tilt their way.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐩, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇. 🤌

Varun Chakaravarthy pulls off an absolute blinder at deep square-leg to dismiss the dangerous Abhishek Sharma 🥵#TATAIPL 2026 | #KKRvSRH | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/ySCLEcJOUA pic.twitter.com/jXoaMbiOUy

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 2, 2026

KKR were chasing a stiff target of 227, but things got off to a rough start. They lost three wickets inside the Powerplay, with Harsh Dubey and Jaydev Unadkat doing the damage early. Opener Finn Allen and Ajinkya Rahane (8 off 10) were both sent back cheaply, while Cameron Green was run out by Ishan Malinga for just 2 off 2 balls.

At the time of writing, KKR are 151/6 after 14 overs, with Ramandeep Singh and Sunil Narine at the crease with a lot of work ahead.

Earlier, SRH had posted 226/8 in their 20 overs after being put in to bat. The openers set the tone in a hurry — Abhishek Sharma smashed 48 off 21 balls and Travis Head was equally destructive with 46 off 21. Their 82-run opening stand gave SRH serious momentum. Heinrich Klaasen continued the assault with 52 off 35, and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with a lively 39 off 24.

For KKR, Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers with an impressive 4/41. Vaibhav Arora took two wickets, while Anukul Roy and Kartik Tyagi picked up one each.