Shivam Dube put down a crucial chance to dismiss Virat Kohli in the third over of RCB’s innings against Chennai Super Kings at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday night, letting the former RCB captain off the hook on a tricky surface where run-scoring has been far from straightforward.
The moment came on Over 2.3 of the RCB innings. Khaleel Ahmed pushed one across the right-hander on a good length, and Kohli swung hard but got it right off the bottom of the bat. The ball ballooned high over mid-on, where Dube ran back from his fielding position and seemed to have it covered. He got both hands to the ball โ but it popped out of his grasp on impact, giving Kohli a life when he was on just 9 off 10 balls and clearly struggling for timing.
It was the kind of chance CSK simply cannot afford to spill against Kohli at Chinnaswamy. On any ground, dropping the IPL’s all-time leading run-scorer is costly. At his home ground, where Kohli averages over 40 in the IPL, it can be match-defining.
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WATCH: Shivam Dube Drops Virat Kohli Catch At Mid-On
Kohli had looked uncharacteristically scratchy before the reprieve. The Chinnaswamy pitch was playing slow in the early overs โ so much so that no boundary was hit in the first three overs, only the fourth time that has happened in an IPL innings since 2024. Both Kohli and Phil Salt were mistiming shots, with the ball plugging in front of the boundary ropes rather than clearing them.
But the drop changed the momentum. Kohli launched Matt Henry for a massive six over mid-wicket in the very next over โ a flick of the wrists that sent the ball deep into the stands โ and followed it with a cracking four drilled back past the bowler. From 9 off 10 balls, he raced to 24 off 15 by the end of the fourth over, suddenly looking like the Kohli that CSK know all too well.
CSK, already at the bottom of the IPL 2026 table after losses to Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings, needed everything to go right in Bengaluru. Dube’s drop was exactly the kind of moment that tilts a game away from a side already low on confidence.
Anshul Kamboj Dismisses Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube Takes Catch
The Dube drop catch did not cost CSK too much. Kohli was dismissed by Anshul Kamboj in the powerplay itself for 28. Incidentally, it was Dube who took the catch as the all-rounder made up for his error earlier.
Kamboj bowled a short ball to Kohli and the RCB opener stepped out only to top edge the pull to long on where Dube took the catch.
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