IPL T20 2009 - Here is a catch!!

Match 43 of DLF IPL Season 2 is on between two of the most evenly contested IPL teams - Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils! IPL matches held in South Africa this year, due to compelling political reasons in India, have seen an even tussle between the ball and the bat, for most matches. Had all the catches been taken though, the war would clearly have been won by the bowlers!
90 catches dropped (Easy, not so easy and the tough ones) in 43 matches, says it all. If this continues, by the time the tourney ends, IPL Teams will easily aggregate about 100 plus catches dropped. The fact that some of these catches were sitters, waiting to be taken blindfolded and by some of the best fielders of the world makes us sit and wonder, "Is something really wrong with the IPL Teams?
The IPL Matches, just so you know are played in the winter season in South Africa. This is the time when it gets really cold especially in grounds like the Super Sport park, Centurion and the Kimberley Park. When the wind blows in this part of the world, it just does not blow, it howls. This results in the ball swirling in the air and changing its trajectory at the last minute. Obviously, fielders then have a problem adjusting.
Most cricketing experts believe that catches have been dropped because most players are at the end of their cricketing season. With the T20 World Cup fast approaching, players wish to preserve themselves. This has some merit, but how can you explain catches been dropped by someone who is making a comeback and has not played a lot recently.
Who will talk about the quality of lights? In some of the grounds like in Durban and Port Elizabeth, sighting a ball under the lights is a challenge on its own. About 85% catches that have been dropped have been under the lights. If this was not a statistic to prove that playing under the lights in South Africa is double-edged, then what is.
Bottom-line - Cold conditions coupled with problems in sighting the ball should be the major reasons why so many catches in this year's IPL T20 have been dropped. Professional cricket players can't mention these as excuses, and that's why as a Cricket analyst, I am making these points.