The list of players who have put sitters down includes illustrious names such as Sachin Tendulkar, Albie Morkel, Brendon McCullum, and even Rahul Dravid, one of the safest pair of hands in international cricket.

While Kolkata Knight Riders have been the worst performers in the field, other teams have struggled as well. Interestingly, the reasons put forth by players and coaches are nearly as varied.

Clear sky, blurred vision

According to one theory, with the clear blue skies as the backdrop, it’s difficult for the fielders to judge high catches accurately. “It is a difficult catching atmosphere,” says Kings XI Punjab coach Tom Moody. “The skies are very clear and it is very hard to read the catch. It isn’t surprising that people are dropping catches. At this level, if you do get a chance, you have got to kick on and take advantage of it.”

Colour blind

Delhi Daredevils coach Greg Shipperd feels the backdrop is having an effect. “It becomes very difficult for the fielders with a distracting background. There are people sitting in the stands wearing different colours...” Shipperd, however, isn’t a worried man. “We are not too bothered because we aren’t dropping any.”

Gone with the wind

Another factor for dropped catches could be the wind. “South Africa is pretty windy this time around,” points out Siddharth Trivedi, the Rajasthan Royals medium-pacer. “If you go to some of the grounds — especially Port Elizabeth and Durban — the breeze is very strong. The ball tends to swirl while it’s coming down, making it difficult to judge the line of the ball. You have to keep your eyes on the ball till the last moment.”

Floodlight problem

The floodlights at some of the smaller venues have come in for criticism as well, with Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni hinting that insufficient lighting is affecting the fielders. “Buffalo Park (East London) doesn’t have adequate floodlights. Fielders as well as batsmen are finding it difficult to sight the ball. The floodlights at Port Elizabeth too are inadequate,” he said.

However, he admits that his side needs to improve its fielding. “I am concerned about our fielding which hasn’t been up to the mark. We have dropped so many catches. Against Deccan, we had a good score to defend so it didn’t matter much. But in low-scoring games, it can go against us.”

All travel, no practice

The bottom-placed Knight Riders are the runaway leaders when it comes to grassing sitters. A team member blames it on the hectic scheduling — KKR played nine matches at four different venues. “There is hardly any time to get used to the conditions or for enough fielding practice.”

Coach John Buchanan insists that the fielding has been good but admits “there have been occasions when we have let our team down by dropping a few catches”.

Skipper Brendon McCullum, who has seen the team lose two matches because of poor fielding, agrees. “You can’t drop five catches and expect to beat a good side. It was disappointing because catching is one area you should be able to control in the game. And unfortunately we put down some chances that cost us big.”