Axar Patel admitted that both the batting and bowling units let Delhi Capitals down after their eight-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 on Friday. The defeat left DC’s playoff hopes hanging in the balance, with the skipper also hinting that the team has already started thinking about next season.Delhi Capitals managed just 142/8 at home before KKR chased down the target in 14.2 overs. Finn Allen scored an unbeaten 100 while Cameron Green remained not out on 33 as KKR completed an easy chase.DC are currently eighth in the table with eight points from 11 games. KKR moved to seventh place with nine points from 10 matches after their fourth straight win.Axar said after the match: “For now, we will go back and think about the mistakes we made. After that, of course, we still have a long way to go and next year will come. So we will think about what plans we can make for next year and what approach we should take.”“Based on that, we can also look at the players sitting on the bench and decide who can get an opportunity and what changes we can make,” he added.Axar said that the total of 142 was not enough and also pointed out the mistakes made by the bowlers in defence.“I think the runs were definitely below par and at the same time the spinners made quite a few mistakes. Looking at the way the pitch behaved, I feel the spinners made mistakes.”“In doing so, we lost five wickets in two to three overs and I think that’s where we lost the momentum. That’s probably something we have to think about because the same thing happened against CSK…we started well and then all of a sudden the wickets kept falling,” he added.The DC captain said the team needs to handle the pressure better when wickets are falling quickly.“You see, you can’t solve it in a complex way. So I think it’s more about using the right mindset. Even if you lose one or two wickets, you can still spend time in the crease and play through it. I think that’s what you need to use when wickets are falling in bunches, you have to absorb the pressure of more than two wickets,” Axar said.
