IPL 2026 Top Five: How Good Was Shreyas Iyer's Relay Catch? Contenders For Best Catch Of The Season - Watch Videos

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer pulled off a stunning catch in front of Mumbai Indians' dug-out sprinkled with who's who of Indian cricket, during their 7-wicket win in the match 24 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 16, Thursday.

Even as Ravi shastri relayed the live action from the coms box, narrating how Rohit Sharma sat in the dugout, stunned with disbelief, the replays of the catch already took the internet by storm. A veritable trend of the day.

But it was not the first catch to leave fans gasping for more. The IPL 2026 has already seen stunners from the fielders on the outfield and in the circle. Displaying instances of brilliant athleticism, these fielders have grabbed catches that question the limits of human possibility and the force of gravity.

The history of the IPL is decorated with iconic efforts that remain etched in memory. Kieron Pollard’s mid-air, one-handed pluck at long-on to dismiss Kevon Cooper in 2014 remains a gold standard for power and timing. Similarly, AB de Villiers’ superman catch against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018, where he leapt high at the mid-wicket boundary to snag a ball that seemed destined for the stands—redefined what was physically possible.

Other legendary moments, like Chris Lynn’s arching back-bend at the rope in 2014 has remained fresh in the memories of fans. Here is five catches from the IPL 2026, that can end up with the glory of the top catch of the season.

Shreyas Iyer (Punjab Kings) Against Mumbai Indians

Shreyas Iyer tops the list with his amazing effort against Mumbai Indians. He displayed balance, judgement, core strength and presence of mind together to complete the catch.

The catch occurred in the 18th over of Mumbai's innings. Hardik Pandya, attempting to accelerate, smashed a delivery from Marco Jansen toward the long-on boundary. The ball seemed destined for a six until Shreyas Iyer, the PBKS captain, intervened.

Iyer sprinted swiftly to his left from his position at long-on to track the ball. As the ball was about to clear the rope, Iyer launched himself into the air, grabbing the ball with a reverse cup while fully airborne.

Realizing his momentum would carry him over the boundary line, he showed incredible presence of mind to toss the ball back into the field of play mid-air. Teammate Xavier Bartlett, who was running in from long-off, safely caught the tossed ball to complete the dismissal.

Phil Salt (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) Against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Phil Salt’s catch to dismiss Ishan Kishan during the IPL 2026 season opener between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has a strong shout for catch of the season.

The moment occurred in the 16th over of the first innings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Ishan Kishan, who was captaining SRH for the first time, was in devastating form, batting on 80 runs off just 38 balls. He looked certain to reach a century as he faced a full toss from RCB's Abhinandan Singh.

Kishan attempted to guide the ball past the infield for a boundary, opening the bat face to slice it toward the backward point region

Salt, stationed in the deep, spotted the trajectory immediately and sprinted hard to his right. Just as the ball seemed destined to reach the fence, Salt launched himself into a full-stretch dive.

He plucked the ball out of the air with a spectacular one-handed grab at full reach, effectively silencing the Bengaluru crowd in awe and ending Kishan's dangerous innings.

Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings) Against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Marco Jansen’s catch to dismiss Ishan Kishan during the Punjab Kings (PBKS) vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) match was a moment where his pure physical reach defied the odds.

In the 14th over of the match at the New Chandigarh Stadium, SRH was looking to launch a massive final assault. Ishan Kishan, batting on 27, flicked a delivery from Arshdeep Singh high toward the on-side. The ball looked like a certain six, heading toward the gap at deep mid-wicket.

Standing at a towering 6'8", the South African all-rounder used every bit of his height and long levers to make the play.

Jansen sprinted a significant distance to his right from his position in the deep to intercept the ball’s trajectory.

Just as the ball was about to clear the boundary, Jansen leaped into the air and stretched his arm to pluck the ball out of thin air with a single hand.

Despite his momentum and tall frame, he managed to stay perfectly balanced and keep his feet well inside the boundary rope.

The catch was so unexpected that the bowler, Arshdeep Singh, stood in total shock with his hand over his mouth. Even Jansen seemed surprised by his own effort, breaking into laughter as his teammates mobbed him

Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants) Against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rishabh Pant, captaining the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), pulled off a spectacular reflex catch to dismiss Liam Livingstone during their clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The catch took place in the 8th over of the first innings. Liam Livingstone, who had been struggling to find his timing on a slow surface, attempted to play a paddle sweep off the bowling of LSG spinner Digvesh Rathi

As a wicketkeeper, Pant showed incredible agility and anticipation. As Livingstone moved to play the paddle, Pant initially took a step to his left, following the batter’s movement.

The ball took a faint edge and popped up quickly. Realizing the change in direction, Pant shifted his weight instantly and dived full-stretch to his right.

He plucked the ball out of the air with a single hand while parallel to the ground, completing a sensational one-handed catch that left the stadium in awe.

Sarfaraz Khan (Chennai Super Kings) Against Delhi Capitals

Sarfaraz Khan’s stunning catch to dismiss Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel was the standout highlight of the match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC).

The catch happened on the very first ball of the 7th over, during the second innings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk). CSK’s left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh, making his IPL debut, bowled a short-of-length delivery wide of off-stump. Axar Patel attempted a powerful cut shot that looked certain to race to the boundary.

Stationed at backward point, Sarfaraz Khan had very little time to react as the ball flew off Axar's bat at high speed. Sarfaraz launched himself into a full-stretch, horizontal dive to his right.

He caught the ball cleanly with both hands while completely airborne. Television replays confirmed his entire body was off the ground at the moment of impact.

After completing the blinder, Sarfaraz took off on a wild victory lap. He took off his cap and ran toward the boundary with his arms outstretched—a celebration many fans compared to the iconic "marathon" runs of former CSK spinner Imran Tahir.