Fielding frailties underline CSK and RR`s fall in IPL standings

Catching efficiency has become a major talking point in the ongoing IPL 2025, with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals emerging as the biggest offenders in this regard.

The teams languishing at the bottom of the points table are those that have struggled the most with taking catches. CSK, who are currently at the bottom, have a dismal catching efficiency of just 64.3 percent in IPL 2025.

Dropped catches have haunted CSK throughout the season, notably during their defeat against Punjab Kings. Young opener Priyansh Arya, who played a blistering knock of a century, survived an early scare when CSK missed an opportunity to dismiss him off just the second ball of his innings.

Similarly, in their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajat Paridar was dropped on 18, later going on to score a half-century. Ironically, both Paridar and Arya were named Player of the Match in their respective games.

Rajasthan Royals, though slightly better, have not performed significantly better in this department. With a catch efficiency of 70.5 percent, they sit second from the bottom of the table. In contrast, Mumbai Indians have set the benchmark with an impressive 83.3 percent catch efficiency, followed closely by Sunrisers Hyderabad at 82.4 percent, and Royal Challengers Bangalore, who hold the third spot with 80.9 percent.

When we dive deeper, some players have had particularly poor catching records. Among those with four or more catching opportunities, Punjab`s Yuzvendra Chahal and Chennai`s Vijay Shankar have had the worst performances. Both have dropped three out of five chances, with Chahal missing a key opportunity to dismiss SRH’s Abhishek Sharma, who was on 57 at the time. Sharma went on to score a remarkable 141 runs, breaking the record for the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history.

Turning to venues, Jaipur has been the site of the highest number of dropped catches, with 12 missed opportunities, surpassing the nine successful catches. Arya and Rajasthan`s Shimron Hetmyer have been the luckiest players so far, with both being reprieved five times each.