Fielding has become an integral part of the game, especially in the T20 format. It has become as important as batting and bowling. In the modern era, as a player you need to tick all these three boxes to succeed. MI managed to do so with great team work. The top three catchers this season were our players. No surprises, Kieron Pollard topped the chart and he was followed by Hardik Pandya and then our skipper Rohit Sharma.

We saw many blinders being taken in this season. Our fielders entertained the crowd with their athleticism and the effort they put in to get to the ball – throwing their body on the field and completing those stunning catches. Let’s take a look at the top three fielders from the season.

Kieron Pollard – 15 catches

The big Trinidadian has made his name for taking marvellous catches in previous seasons. Every year, he takes at least one blinder on the field, and this season he didn’t disappoint us. He took as many as 15 catches in IPL 2017, the most by anyone in the tournament. It was also second to the all-time record of taking most catches in a season. His breath-taking catch of the season came against Royal Challengers Bangalore at our fortress, the Wankhede Stadium. Kedar Jadhav was all set to go big in the final overs of the innings. He attempted to clear long off but the tall Kieron Pollard was patrolling the fence. KP ran to his left, kept his eyes on the ball and took a superb catch, leaping to his left. As always, he made it look very easy to our eyes. That has been the hallmark of most of the catches taken by Pollard. The truth is that they are tough grabs, but he possesses the ability of making them look simple, the way some batsmen play with lazy elegance. He works hard during training on his catching and fielding, and the result is clearly evident on the field.

Hardik Pandya – 12 catches

Our all-rounder, Hardik Pandya was agile on the field throughout this season. He got the runs when it mattered, took some crucial wickets and was brilliant on the field too. He finished the season with the second most number of catches in IPL 2017. Not only did he pluck a few, he even saved some crucial runs with his wonderful athleticism. He was always touted as a great fielder when he joined Mumbai Indians and since then he has only improved. You could always see him throwing himself on the field, always trying to make something happen. His alertness, accuracy and precision when he’s fielding makes batsmen wary of taking that extra run against his arm. One such moment was during the Qualifier 2, Ishank Jaggi tapped the ball towards the backward point region. Hardik Pandya fielding at point, swiftly dived to his left and stopped the ball with one hand. He  got up quickly, and made sure the batsman didn’t take any run. In the final over, we witnessed him take a brave decision to go for the catch instead of playing safe and conceding a run. He couldn’t get to the ball, but ensured that he got his body behind it, preventing it from going away to the fence. These moments create or build pressure, and they lead to wickets.

Rohit Sharma – 10 catches

In the 10th edition of the IPL, our skipper finished with 10 catches – the third joint-most in the list of fielders with most catches in the season. Like every season, Rohit Sharma set his benchmark high on the field. He took two stunning catches this season! During the game against RCB our skipper dismissed AB de Villiers with a breath-taking catch at cover. De Villiers, facing Krunal Pandya looked to hit one through the off side, but he didn’t time it well. Rohit times himself well though, as he dived to his left and plucked it with his left hand. It happened in quick time and de Villiers was shocked. His second outstanding catch of the season came against Delhi Daredevils. Fielding at slip, our captain knew he had to show quick reflexes. Karn Sharma dragged it a bit short and Marlon Samuels tried to cut it off the back foot. The ball went off the outside edge to the right of Rohit Sharma at slip. Our captain moved swiftly and grabbed it out of thin air. A marvellous one-handed catch and one for us to narrate stories about! An absolute blinder!

As they say, catches win matches. Our team proved it. We were clinical on the field and topped the catches chart for this season. It goes without saying that it wouldn’t have been possible without our fielding coach Jonty Rhodes, who himself redefined the term fielding. Our fielders are known to back the bowlers when we need to defend low scores or restrict teams batting first. Our boys have lived up to the high standards that the game demands and will continue doing so in the seasons to come.