Varun Chakravarthy takes a controversial catch to dismiss Abhishek Sharma in IPL 2026

Varun Chakravarthy takes a controversial catch to dismiss the blazing opener of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Abhishek Sharma. After checking the replays multiple times, the third umpire decided to call it out. Questions remain: Was it a clean catch?

SRH got a solid start with the help of the opener Sharma and Travis Head. Inside the powerplay, the Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane was forced to bring on Sunil Narine to reduce the run rate. The full-flowing opening pair notched 82 runs in 5.4 overs.

Controversial catch by Varun Chakravarthy, but a huge blow for the Sunrisers Hyderabad

Soon after the departure of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma also headed back to the dressing room after the controversial catch taken by Varun Chakravarthy near the boundary rope. The fielder launched his body forward to take the catch.

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Sharma missed a half-century by only a couple of runs. With four 4s and four 6s, the Indian opener scored 48 off 27. Zimbabwe international pacer Blessing Muzarabani took another big fish in the net.

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— Nickk Knight (@KnightNick34590) April 2, 2026

Double stroke for Blessing Muzarabani and the Kolkata Knight Riders

Blessing Muzarabani looked like the weak link of the Knight Riders' bowling attack when the pacer came to deliver the second over of the first innings. The Australian opener, Travis Head, scored runs with ease against the bowler. Against the aggressive batter, the seamer also started to lose control over his deliveries.

After the expensive over, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane removed Blessing Muzarabani from the attack and introduced the spin wizard Sunil Narine to put the brake on the free-flowing batting of Head and Abhishek Sharma. Narine's over inside the powerplay proved effective.

A brilliant move by the captain and the team as well

Rahane brought Blessing Muzarabani back into the attack when the boundary line was more protected with the fielders. This time, the plan worked according to plan. Muzarabani picked up two crucial wickets in a single over.

On the second delivery of the 9th over, he plucked the wicket of the Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Ishan Kishan, and on the fourth ball, it was time for Abhishek Sharma to pack his bag. The catch taken by Varun Chakravarthy might be controversial, but as the third umpire decided to call it an out, the batter had to walk off the field. KKR tracked back into the contest again.

With Varun Chakravarthy's crucial catch and multiple back-to-back wickets, the run rate of Sunrisers Hyderabad slightly came down. In the end moment of the innings, the Zimbabwe pacer struck again and finished his spell with a four-wicket haul. SRH finished their batting part registering 226 runs for 8 wickets.

Heinrich Klassen played an important role in this innings to help the team go past the 200-run mark. Kolkata Knight Riders, in-form openers like Finn Allen and Ajinkya Rahane, will have to score 227 runs in 120 balls to win the match.

Read More: Abhishek Sharma goes berserk, smashing 25 runs off Varun Chakravarthy in IPL 2026