‘Start catching well, please!’: Aaron Finch warns PBKS against poor fielding ahead of MI clash
Aaron Finch warns that Mumbai Indians, despite their IPL 2026 standing, are a dangerous 'nothing to lose' opponent against Punjab Kings. Finch highlighted PBKS's poor fielding, citing 19 dropped catches this season as a major concern that has cost them crucial points and jeopardized their playoff hopes.
Despite Mumbai Indians’ position in the IPL 2026 points table, former Australian captain Aaron Finch warned that a team with ‘nothing to lose’ is often the most dangerous opponent. MI are set to take on Punjab Kings at Dharamsala on Thursday with the pressure on Shreyas Iyer’s team to snap their four-match losing streak. “Regardless of where Mumbai Indians are on the ladder, you know they’re coming hard at you," Finch said on Jiohotstar.
"They’ve got everything to gain by contributing to knocking out a team, and that’s what you play for when you get down to this part of the season, when you can’t qualify yourself. ” The former Australian captain expressed his affinity for PBKS’s style of play but was very blunt about their poor fielding. PBKS has been guilty of dropping crucial catches at pivotal moments this season, which cost them important points in the last four matches.
After going unbeaten in the first seven games , PBKS lost four on the trot . They have dropped the most chances this season with 19 catches missed. All-rounder Shashank Singh has dropped five catches on his own and accounts for 26.
32 % of the dropped chances for the last year's runner-up. Following Shashank’s drop against SRH, head coach Ricky Ponting said, “It has been a bit of a virus for us. We have put a lot of catches down this season.