Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had a frustrating outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad after his teammates repeatedly dropped catches off his bowling. SRH batters made full use of those missed chances and piled up a huge total of 235 on a batting-friendly Hyderabad pitch.The dropped catches became a major talking point, especially because Chahal had created several wicket-taking opportunities. However, Punjab’s poor fielding let the match slip away.
Statistics showed that six catches have now been dropped off Chahal’s bowling this IPL season — the highest for any bowler in IPL 2026.Shashank Singh was at the centre of the fielding troubles, accounting for four dropped catches this season, the second-most by any fielder in the tournament. During the SRH match, he dropped a straightforward chance offered by Heinrich Klaasen at deep backward square leg. Instead of a wicket, the ball slipped away for four runs, adding to Punjab’s misery.The dropped catch left Chahal in disbelief, with his reaction going viral across social media platforms.Watch:Klaasen and Ishan Kishan both survived after chances were missed off Chahal’s bowling and went on to punish Punjab heavily. Their innings helped SRH post a massive score that proved too difficult to chase.On a surface where bowlers had very little help, fielding mistakes became even more costly. Chahal, one of Punjab’s main wicket-taking bowlers this season, was visibly frustrated as crucial chances went begging.The sloppy fielding ultimately played a big role in SRH’s dominant performance and added another disappointing chapter to Punjab’s disappointing run of three defeats.
