In the closing stages of the IPL 2026 final, a big sort of controversy popped up, and Virat Kohli ended up right in the middle of it all. The star batter got tangled in a pretty tense situation about whether he could be sent back, you know. On the last ball of the 16th over, the former RCB captain was first signaled out, however after a few minutes of intense chats , and review screens, the call got changed back again. It started when Shubman Gill looked like he had snapped a key catch. That brief moment then kicked off a heated back and forth, and suddenly the on-field umpires were in it, too. At the same time, Virat Kohli stepped in, plus GT captain Gill, so the whole scene turned into one of the loudest talking points of the match, seriously. Kohli tried an aerial strike off Arshad Khan’s bowling, lofting the ball towards mid-off where Gill moved in quick and managed a diving catch, kind of like straightaway. The umpires looked at it and they seemed satisfied with the effort , so they raised the finger. pic.twitter.com/9zBVQwTZJX — crictalk (@crictalk7) May 31, 2026 It's all happening in Ahmedabad 👀Updates ▶️ https://t.co/Yz6K3q6w0X#TATAIPL | #Final | #TheFinalLeap | #RCBvGT pic.twitter.com/gczM8fnZMe — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 31, 2026 But Kohli had already started drifting away, then he turned back pretty fast and went up to the umpire, asking for a review on the catch. The whole thing got a bit heated, not least because at first it felt like Nitin Menon wasn’t at all ready to reconsider the call. Right when Kohli was about to head toward the pavilion, the officials asked him to hold on and wait. The third umpire went through the footage carefully, and after a long pause, Kohli was finally ruled not out. The verdict just did not sit well with Shubman Gill. GT captain voiced his disagreement and he exchanged words with Kohli, while also trying to convince the umpires that his fingers had stayed underneath the ball. Still though, the officials stood by their final decision, no matter what. The second the big screen confirmed the not out call, Kohli celebrated right away, punching the air in pure relief and excitement. Kind of like that. Turns out, it was a pretty memorable night for Virat Kohli. The right hander stayed unbeaten on 75, off 42 deliveries only, and he also got the winning runs. The whole innings felt even sharper, because he put together the fastest fifty of his IPL career, reaching that milestone in just 25 balls. Also Read | IPL Purple Cap Winners List (2008-2026): Full List of Highest Wicket-Takers by Season Kohli’s aggressive knock had nine boundaries and also three sixes, it helped him set up several milestones, you could say. Even with the visible discomfort, he kept going through the pain and at one point he looked really close to stepping off the field, because of cramps. The veteran batter kept calling for the physios again and again during his innings, yet there were no signs that he was about to stop. At one of the stoppages it was made pretty obvious, he was batting with a strapped calf, that small detail sort of showed his commitment and determination on the biggest stage. After he sealed the victory, Kohli celebrated in that trademark way and noted the moment with a special gesture after he struck the winning runs.