Punjab Kings (PBKS) endured a frustrating evening on the field during their IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday, with dropped catches proving costly once again. The spotlight, however, fell heavily on Shashank Singh after the PBKS batter put down a straightforward chance that quickly became one of the biggest talking points of the match.
In a tournament where every moment is magnified, Shashank’s missed opportunity sparked a flood of reactions online. Fans wasted little time turning the incident into memes and jokes across social media platforms, while PBKS supporters were left disappointed as their team’s sloppy fielding handed multiple lifelines to SRH batters.
The dropped catch added to an already worrying trend for Punjab, whose fielding standards have repeatedly come under scrutiny this season.
Shashank Singh drops another crucial chance
The costly moment came during Yuzvendra Chahal’s spell when Heinrich Klaasen attempted a slog sweep towards deep backward square leg. Positioned perfectly under the ball, Shashank looked set to complete a simple catch, but the ball slipped out of his hands at the last moment.
Chahal’s reaction summed up the frustration in the PBKS camp. The leg-spinner stood stunned after watching another wicket opportunity disappear. For Shashank, it was yet another difficult moment in what has become a rough phase in the field. The PBKS batter had already dropped multiple catches earlier in the tournament, including three missed chances against Lucknow Super Giants and another against Delhi Capitals. Wednesday’s error only intensified the criticism surrounding his fielding performances.
PBKS fielders continue to struggle under pressure
Shashank was not the only player guilty of poor fielding during the innings. Punjab Kings collectively had a forgettable outing as several catching opportunities went begging. The first dropped chance came in the eighth over when Cooper Connolly failed to hold onto a straightforward catch offered by Ishan Kishan at deep backward square leg off Lockie Ferguson’s bowling.
Later, Ferguson himself joined the list of missed opportunities after dropping another catch in the deep, allowing Kishan another escape. The misery did not end there, as wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh also missed a stumping opportunity against the SRH batter shortly after. Those repeated mistakes left PBKS visibly frustrated, while SRH capitalised on the extra chances to keep the scoreboard moving.
Coach Ricky Ponting reacts to PBKS’ fielding errors
PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting addressed the fielding lapses during his interaction with broadcasters in the first innings. While clearly disappointed, the former Australian captain tried to lighten the mood with a humorous remark.
“It’s like a virus,” Ponting said while speaking about Punjab’s catching woes this season.
He also sympathised with Shashank, admitting that the player was going through a difficult phase on the field.
“The boys have worked exceptionally hard. Poor old Shashank there, it just looks like the ball is following him around everywhere he goes,” Ponting added.
Despite the mistakes, Ponting’s comments suggested that the team management still backs its players and hopes they can quickly recover from their fielding struggles.
As expected in the IPL era, social media erupted within minutes of Shashank’s dropped catch. Several fans shared memes, funny edits and sarcastic reactions, with many questioning PBKS’s fielding standards in such an important game.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Scenes today pic.twitter.com/LeY8kwWRyG
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) May 6, 2026
Historians say the man in this painting was Shashank Singh pic.twitter.com/bUnkf8vPc4
— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) May 6, 2026
– Dropped catches.
– Was out of the team.
– Came back tonight.
– Dropped a catch again.Shashank Singh having a terrible time on the field. pic.twitter.com/XR9E4kqbAo
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh आज फिर कैच छोड़ दिए,
ऋषभ पंत से भी बड़ा बोझ खिलाड़ी है ! 😭#SRHvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/U0lIg9it5j
— Amrita Yadav (@AmritaYada60221) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh and Lokei Ferguson taking catches of SRH’s batsmen pic.twitter.com/h7SbY959kd
— Desi Bhayo (@desi_bhayo88) May 6, 2026
Cooper Connolly dropped Ishan Kishan on 9. ❎
Shashank Singh dropped Heinrich Klassen on 9. ❎ pic.twitter.com/5ToByA5Xjq— Maina Singh (@Maina_Singhx77) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh fielding in last 4 matches
He dropped 4 catches.#SRHvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/shOONwWiaz— flicksX18 (@flicks_X18) May 6, 2026
Shashank is back after 2 matches and dropped a dolly straight away 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/PU3Uq971Kb
— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) May 6, 2026
I have a feeling that Ricky Ponting will give “belt treatment” to Shashank Singh after the game tonight! Another dropped catch tonight of Heinrich Klaasen!🤣🤣🤣#IPL2026 #SRHvsPBKS #ShashankSingh pic.twitter.com/BX1yq0KMsS
— Boundary & Beyond Co. (@SrijoyMukherjee) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh Trying To Catch In IPL . #SRHvsPBKS #PBKSvsSRH pic.twitter.com/QPtnZJGEkz
— VisionMemes (@visionmemes9) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh trying to catch anything#SRHvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/7uPXUHEsgX
— बुलेट bhaiya (@bullet_bhaiya_) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh todaypic.twitter.com/GOXfmIy0yq
— D.🇲🇰 (@dkhive102) May 6, 2026
When Topic is catch drops
Next Minute shashank singh :#SRHvsPBK #Shashanksingh pic.twitter.com/RFSh4ZxQxv
— IronThroneX (@They_Call_HimOG) May 6, 2026
Ricky ponting with Shashank Singh #PbksvsSrh #SrhvsPbks https://t.co/JTYRe4MycA pic.twitter.com/ZPm9oQ21ik
— Bhaisahab (@Bhai_saheb) May 6, 2026
Belt treatment to Shashank Singh from Ricky ponting 😭😭#SRHvsPBKSpic.twitter.com/xMgf2kV7KF
— Scott McCall 🔱 (@Scott_McCall003) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh for Punjab Kings in every match#SRHvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/I3shDJHLCk
— Rajabets 🇮🇳👑 (@rajabetsindia) May 6, 2026
6th catch drop from Shashank Singh 😂 pic.twitter.com/NoI6Vel0kX
— DeepAngle (@DeepAngle41) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh fielding disasterclass continues 😝
Got dropped from the team after putting down catches came back tonight and still managed to spill another one 😂 pic.twitter.com/TJ9gtQQGvP
— KKR Karavan (@KkrKaravan) May 6, 2026
Ricky Ponting with Shashank Singh pic.twitter.com/IAKIfblciF
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) May 6, 2026
How the Shashank Singh vs Shivam Dube battle for catch drop sounds: pic.twitter.com/3iqWBqKWUP
— mutual.stark (@mutualstark) May 6, 2026
Shashank Singh explaining why he dropped catches #PBKSvsSRH #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/xhotI4ofeY
— बुलेट bhaiya (@bullet_bhaiya_) May 6, 2026
