Irfan Pathan criticized the fielding performance seen during the IPL 2025 match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), where numerous catches were missed by both sides.
Punjab set a challenging score of 219/6 after Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 8. Priyansh Arya struck a remarkable century off just 39 balls, with Shashank Singh (52) and Marco Jansen (34) also providing significant support. In response, CSK managed to score 201/5, with Devon Conway leading the batting with a score of 69 from 49 balls.
However, in addition to Arya’s outstanding batting, the poor fielding efforts from both teams have also become a topic of discussion in the cricket community. A total of eight catches were missed throughout the match. This unsatisfactory display did not sit well with Pathan, who made a remark about the IPL by referring to the Legends League.
“Eight dropped catches in today’s game. “We usually don’t concede this many, even in the Legends League,” remarked the former India all-rounder on ‘X’ (previously known as Twitter).
Irfan Pathan Criticized CSK vs PBKS Fielding
“I think that in the past four matches, fielding has been the key factor (in determining victory or defeat). It has been critical. The catches we’ve been missing allow the same batsman to score 15, 20, 30 runs,” stated CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad after CSK faced their fourth straight loss of the season.
“We were able to take wickets consistently, but they maintained their momentum. An extra 10-15 runs would have helped us. Ultimately, it comes down to dropped catches. From a batting standpoint, things were good. Two of our top batters (Rachin and Conway), who handle pace well, were at the top of the order. They had a strong start. We saw a lot of positives in our batting. Today we were just a few hits away; Devon is more of a ball-timer,” he added.
CSK aims to rectify their performance when they play again on Friday, April 11, at home against Kolkata Knight Riders. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings will face Sunrisers Hyderabad the next day in Uppal.