At the Narendra Modi Stadium, Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered a rapid collapse that saw them tumble from 34 without loss to 96 for six, with six wickets falling in the span of 47 deliveries. Jason Holder played a central role in the downturn, contributing to four of those dismissals, and each came back-to-back. The Gujarat Titans all-rounder accounted for Jitesh Sharma for his only wicket of the innings, but his impact went well beyond the scoreboard—he also completed three catches, including a standout effort at deep backward square leg that ignited intense debate inside the RCB dressing room.
The flashpoint came during the fourth ball of the eighth over, when left-arm quick Arshad Khan delivered a firm length. It was not an easy option for batting, yet RCB captain Rajat Patidar committed to the shot and lofted it into the air. Holder sprinted across from deep square leg, and Kagiso Rabada also moved across to support, but the South African international avoided any collision and still managed to get out of the way as Holder went in for the catch.
The TV umpire, Abhijit Bhattacharya, checked the moment and ruled it out. Patidar, however, remained close to the boundary while the decision was being reviewed and the RCB camp reacted sharply. RCB players believed the ball had touched the ground as Holder slid through to complete the take, and the reaction was particularly fierce from Virat Kohli.
Kohli was visibly frustrated and immediately approached the reserve umpire, Parashar Joshi, for a heated discussion. Andy Flower, the head coach, joined the conversation as it stretched on even after Patidar accepted the ruling and walked back through the ropes to the dugout. Commentator Eoin Morgan, though, backed the television official’s call, saying, “Holder is in full control in my eyes.”
Patidar’s dismissal came for 19 off 15 balls, and it was the first of the four times Holder removed a batter in the sequence. The momentum continued in the very next over as Holder dismissed Jitesh Sharma for a single run, with the wicket coming from an edge to the keeper, leaving RCB at 80 for four in the ninth over. That total then slipped to 91 for five in the following over, when Tim David was caught after dragging Rashid to Holder at mid-wicket, with the batter scoring 9 off 6 deliveries. In the 10.3 over, RCB’s slide deepened further when Krunal Pandya struck Arshad’s ball straight into Holder’s hands at mid-wicket, ending with RCB on 96 for six.
Earlier in the evening, Gujarat Titans won the toss and chose to bowl first against the defending champions. RCB got off to a strong start as Virat Kohli took Rabada for five straight boundaries in the second over, setting a quick tempo. However, the bowler struck back later—returning with a shorter delivery to dismiss Kohli. Before that, RCB had already lost their opening wicket, with Rashid Khan removing Jacob Bethell.
