Indian Premier League fans witnessed a showcase of spectacular performances across all departments of cricket in the high-octane clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium on May 13. While the standout ‘Player of the Match’ performance came from the ‘Chase Master’ Virat Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 105 to register his 9th IPL century and help his side comfortably chase down 193 with 5 balls to spare, another Indian veteran left the stadium stunned after pulling off a remarkable diving catch, possibly a contender for the IPL 2026 Catch of the Season.
KKR’s 36-year-old batter Manish Pandey defied age and expectations by pulling off a sensational diving catch with his non-dominant hand off a powerful cut shot from Tim David off Kartik Tyagi’s short-of-length delivery. The jaw-dropping moment came in the 18th over of the chase, with cameras capturing the disbelief on David’s face, while Kartik, Kohli, and KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane were visibly stunned by what they had just witnessed from Manish. The catch quickly became one of the biggest talking points among fans and pundits alongside Kohli’s masterclass innings.
Former Indian player and commentator Aakash Chopra was full of praise for the commitment shown by KKR’s seasoned campaigner, despite it being only his third appearance of the season. Manish had hardly played a role as a middle-order specialist since returning to the playing XI against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 3. Chopra hailed the moment of brilliance from Manish, who is renowned for his elite fielding abilities, and during the catch check by the TV umpire, he even compared him to New Zealand’s ‘Flying Man’ Glenn Phillips, who has recently left the cricketing world in awe with his gravity-defying catches.
Chopra highlighted how refreshing it was to witness such brilliance in a season where dropped catches have reached unusually high numbers, including several simple chances being missed by professional cricketers.
“It was a stunning catch by Manish Pandey. We have seen nearly 175 drops already this season. But once in a while, we get a gem like this one. Manish dived full stretch to his left and pulled off a blinder. The umpire had to check two things. First, whether the ball had touched the ground. Second, whether it was Manish Pandey or Glenn Phillips. Because we are so used to seeing Phillips take these kinds of screamers. But this time, it was Manish Pandey,” JioStar expert Chopra said while speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Champions Waali Commentary’.
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“Tim David stood there in disbelief”
Chopra further added how David stood at the crease in complete disbelief after seeing what looked like a certain boundary not only being stopped, but turned into such a clean catch despite Manish’s positioning and the use of his non-dominant hand. Chopra even hailed it as potentially one of the greatest catches in IPL history.
“It left everyone stunned. Tim David stood there in disbelief and said it was not possible. This catch will go down as one of the best in IPL history. Manish Pandey has now played all 19 IPL seasons. Only Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have done the same. MS Dhoni hasn’t played a match this season yet,” Chopra added.
Manish’s appearance this season marked his 19th consecutive IPL campaign since making his debut for former franchise Mumbai Indians during the inaugural 2008 season. He has now become only the 3rd player after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to feature in all 19 IPL editions.
Although Manish ended up on the losing side with KKR, his stunning catch will long be remembered alongside his iconic 94-run match-winning performance for KKR in the 2014 IPL final.