MUMBAI: Given the improved fitness culture, the current generation of fielders displays superb athleticism and agility, with explosive running they also cover the ground faster. But has this translated into better catching skills? If we use the IPL 2026 example, that is hard to quantify.
There have been moments of individual brilliance, but the team’s fielding culture has taken a hit. Some spectacular catches have been pulled off, like Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer’s mid-air relay catch last month against Mumbai Indians to dismiss Hardik Pandya. It was simply breathtaking to witness how Iyer held his balance mid-air to toss the ball back to teammate Xavier Bartlett before falling outside the boundary rope.
Iyer has been brilliant but it can’t be said that his feats have inspired his teammates. His teammate Shashank Singh is having a tough IPL in the field. In PBKS’ game against Lucknow Super Giants, he spilled three in one match. Against Delhi Capitals, Shashank dropped KL Rahul when he was on 12, and the DC opener went on to score a 47-ball hundred and eventually finished with 152 not out, the highest score by an Indian in IPL history. An important batter for PBKS with his finishing skills, Shashank’s catching efficiency has been among the lowest this season.
According to Crizviz data, after 41 games in this year’s IPL, there have been 382 catches and 104 drops, resulting in a catching efficiency rate of 78.6 per cent. Six of the 10 teams have catching efficiency below 80. Sunrisers Hyderabad has dropped the most catches—17 out of the 49 that came their way—for an efficiency of 74.2. Delhi Capitals has the worst efficiency at 62.5, spilling 15 of 25 catches.
With the bowlers already struggling to cope with the Impact Sub rule–200 plus runs becoming the norm– the missed chances have made their task tougher. The IPL has been marred by a series of dropped catches
Among the other costly misses, Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Travis Head’s dropped catches in Wednesday’s game against the Mumbai Indians are glaring. Head made the most of the early reprieves by Will Jacks (on zero) and Naman Dhir (on 2) to blaze away to a 30-ball 76 and help SRH chase down a total of 243.
In his game against Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener Virat Kohli was dropped on zero by Washington Sundar and he went on to make 81. Once you give PBKS opener Prabhsimran Singh a chance he makes you pay dearly. MI’s Jasprit Bumrah dropped him on 11, and he went on to score 80. Delhi Capitals dropped him on 13 (Auqib Nabi), and he smashed 76. Cooper Connolly was dropped by Mohsin Khan on four, and he scored 87 for Lucknow Super Giants. Given his blazing form, Rajasthan Royals teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the last batter you want to offer a chance to. He made SRH pay heavily for dropping him on 32 to smash 103.
Steady decline
It’s not just about this season, there has been a general drop in catching efficiency. The decline was visible last season too.
In 2025, across 41 completed IPL 2025 games (the same point as this year) there were 339 catches and 114 drops, resulting in a catch efficiency percentage of 74.8%. The season as a whole saw a 75.0% catching efficiency.
Lack of adequate practice is the main reason for the decline, experts feel. In practice sessions, the players, especially the batters, want to spend more time on their primary skills.
“Even if you look at the IPL teams, the focus is to pad up and go hit sixes. There are 20 net bowlers lined up, six to seven throwdown specialists, and the batters keep hitting sixes. (Then, as an afterthought they remember) Haan, acha fielding bhi hain na, okay, chalo let’s go and take five-six catches (let’s go and take a few catches). That’s the mindset because that is not what gets them advertisements or revenue. It is sixes and yorkers,” former India fielding coach R Sridhar told HT last season.
No one knows the art of fielding and catching better than Jonty Rhodes who was a long-time fielding coach with Mumbai Indians before moving to other franchises. He emphasises the benefits of developing a good fielding culture in the team, not just having a couple of brilliant fielders.
“I think the key component for a T20 exponent around the world is how many games come down to the last over, even the last ball, the matches are so tight. My whole mantra as a fielding coach was for each player to save just one run because if you add those 11 runs together, that one run makes a massive difference,” said Jonty on Thursday during a media interaction facilitated by the new EUT20PL league where he is part of the Rotterdam team.
Giving the example of the South African team he played in, Jonty said: “The main thing was that in 1992 when the South African team came to the cricket world cup, we had very little international experience and Kepler Wessels (captain) just said that guys the only way we can compete is if we become the best fielding team in the world.”
South Africa then defied the odds to advance to the semi-final. It was a lesson that many teams learnt back then but perhaps now, it is starting to fade away.
Samreen Razzaqui