India, April 28 -- Cricket has gradually become a game where one missed catch no longer stays in the fielding column. It travels into the scoreboard, the bowling figures, the points table and sometimes the dressing-room mood. In a tournament like IPL 2026, stretched by flat pitches, deep batting and Impact Player cushions, a dropped chance has started behaving like an open cheque.

The debate has gathered force because the misses have not been quiet. Delhi Capitals' failure to defend 264 against Punjab Kings turned fielding into a headline subject. Karun Nair's fielding errors as a substitute, Shashank Singh's costly drops and the visible frustration of coaches and captains have pushed the conversation beyond routine cricketing noise. But...