The encounter on Tuesday between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings highlighted some dubious fielding performances, especially from CSK, where several players found it challenging to support their team's efforts defensively. Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan was vocal about his observations; witnessing CSK miss several opportunities against Punjab Kings, he expressed his criticism on his official X account regarding the team's lack of quality.

"Eight dropped catches in today's match. We don't drop this many even in legends leagues," Pathan remarked.

The Super Kings' fourth consecutive loss in IPL 2025 was not solely attributed to a remarkable display of power hitting by Punjab's Priyansh Arya, who scored a century off just 39 balls. It also highlighted the errors made by CSK's fielders, including at least three significant dropped catches and a failed caught-and-bowled opportunity, which transformed the chase into an insurmountable challenge for the visitors in Mullanpur.

The decline began in the opening over when Khaleel Ahmed failed to secure a return catch with Arya, only at six runs. Ravindra Jadeja, typically one of the most reliable fielders, misjudged a straightforward catch in the outfield, while Mukesh Choudhary allowed another chance to slip away at long-off as Arya was gaining momentum. The Super Kings appeared to be out of their depth, and their lack of precision provided Arya and Shashank Singh opportunities they capitalized on effectively.

Fleming criticises fielding, too

Stephen Fleming, typically a composed individual, could not conceal his disappointment following the match.

“The game was fundamentally lost on the field. I felt we were careless... we simply lacked precision when it mattered,” remarked the head coach of CSK.

“We faced pressure from an impressive innings, but we must perform better than that... That’s where we lost control of the game.”

Although he acknowledged the rare success during the powerplay from Conway and Rachin, and commended MS Dhoni’s late contributions, Fleming emphasized a crucial point – this match was not solely about batting. It revolved around the opportunities that were available and CSK’s failure to capitalize on them.

“It has been a frustrating season thus far. Our catching has been subpar, but it was lacking from both teams tonight,” Fleming stated.

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