‘It’s painful to watch’: Mohammad Kaif’s brutal criticism raises alarm over IPL 2026

Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag sets the field during an IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals. (NOT a photo)

NEW DELHI: The ongoing IPL 2026 season has come under sharp scrutiny for a worrying drop in fielding standards, with former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif leading the criticism after pointing out repeated mistakes and poor catching across teams.The numbers underline the concerns. In the 59 matches tracked by CricViz, fielders have dropped 153 catches and completed 541, resulting in a catch efficiency of just 77.9% – a steep drop for a tournament often defined as razor thin edges.Known for his elite standards in the field during his playing days, Kaif did not hold back in his assessment of recent performances.“It’s painful to watch the build-up in this IPL. Today Yash Raj dropped KL when he was down. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi caught too badly. The young lad has not caught this season. He has to be sharper on the field when he plays for India. It is the duty of the coaches to teach the young fielding skills. The boys should enjoy themselves on Sunday and be proud.“Very Bad” Execution: Parag reacts after defeating RRKaif’s comments came on a day when Rajasthan Royals again faltered in the field during their five-wicket defeat by Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.RR captain Riyan Parag admitted that fielding lapses along with bowling inconsistency cost his side dearly in the crucial match. “Very poor. You have to do better than what we did today. Extremely disappointed,” he said.Parag highlighted that RR failed to capitalize on a strong platform and allowed the game to slip in terms of both execution and energy. “We were in a pretty good space after 14 overs… must have been 220-230,” he commented on their batting failures, adding that both the bowling and fielding standards were also “not up to par.”The RR skipper didn’t shy away from responsibility either, stating that repeated underperformance in the last few matches has left the franchise needing to win the remaining matches to stay alive in the playoffs.Wider fielding issue across IPL 2026The RR defeat only added to the wider concerns raised by Kaif as dropped catches and misfields have become a recurring theme across teams this season. What was once considered the defining strength of franchise cricket – a sharp athletic field – now appears to be under pressure, with errors of execution increasingly affecting the outcome of matches.As the playoff race tightens, the conversation on the field has shifted from isolated mistakes to systemic concerns.

What do you think is the main reason behind the drop in fielding standards this IPL season?