With rain hovering over Delhi, Axar Patel made some gutsy calls that ultimately backfired as Delhi Capitals slumped to an eight-wicket defeat against CSK at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on April 5 night.
The first gamble came at the draw. Axar decided to bat first on a surface that looked slightly slow and expected it to get tougher later in the night. But with average first innings scores at the venue usually around 170-180, DC 156 was never enough.
IPL, DC vs CSK: UPDATE | SCORECARD
Head coach Hemang Badani admitted as much during the chase, pointing out that while the pitch might have been tricky, the total on the board simply wasn’t enough to apply the pressure.
“It looked like a pitch that was going to get worse as the game went on, but I think the runs we put up weren’t enough. I mean, I would imagine if we can still make a game out of it, but you would imagine or you would rather have at least about 175 on the board,” Badani told JioStar during the chase. Axar Patel’s cap decisions continue to come under scrutiny (screenshot from X)
Axar himself admitted after the match that Delhi Capitals were at least 10 to 15 runs short. In a format where games are often decided by fine margins, that deficit ultimately proved costly.
And while the toss-up is still up for debate, the bigger headache remains Delhi’s batting order – a conundrum that no one in the camp seems to have solved yet. The middle order has looked shaky for most of the season, but the combinations keep changing without really solving the problem. The same scenario played out again against CSK, making DC look like a team still searching for answers midway through the season.
HOWLER BATTLE SET
The warning signs were already there in DC’s previous game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru where the batting line-up folded all too easily. In fact, Abhishek Porela’s scratchy little 30-something was the only thing standing between Delhi and a full-fledged batting horror show. Yet somehow, despite being one of the few batsmen to put up a fight that night, Porel has not featured in the XI since. This decision looks weirder with each successive defeat.
Instead, DC went ahead with Karun Nair at No. 3. Experience may have played a part in that decision, but the returns really don’t justify the belief. Against CSK, the innings once again felt stuck in traffic. At a stage when Delhi desperately needed someone to keep the scoreboard moving, Nair struggled to consistently rotate the strike or find boundaries, slowing down the innings just when acceleration was most needed.
In contrast, Sameer Rizvi, one of the better prospects in the team, was again retained and introduced late as an impact substitute. The decision to delay his entry became even more controversial given the nature of the pitch. With the surface offering grip and assistance to the spinners, CSK’s attack has always relied heavily on their slow bowlers. Rizvi, with his stronger anti-spin record and ability to accelerate, seemed more suited to these conditions.
The mismatch between strategy and conditions was evident on the pitch. Nair’s inability to counter spin allowed CSK to tighten their grip, while Rizvi, when he finally arrived, showed much more intent. His unbeaten 40 off 24 deliveries, along with contributions from Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma, helped Delhi recover a bit and post a total that at least gave their bowlers something to defend.
However, the late surge only masked larger problems underneath. Again, Delhi tried to fix the innings instead of building it properly. He has become a familiar story this seasona decent start followed by mid-order wobble and decisions that feel more reactive than intended.
DOES CAPTAINCY TAKE A TOLL ON AXAR?
In what was supposed to be a batting festival, Delhi’s flat performance inevitably shifted the focus to Axar Patel and his captaincy. When things go wrong so often, the captain usually becomes the face of confusion, and right now Axar seems to be bearing the brunt of that burden.
There was real excitement around him coming into the season. During his previous stint as DC captain, he flirted with a play-off spot and there was hope that another season of experience, along with exposure to the T20 World Cup-winning Indian environment, would help him grow further as a leader.
But this season has been a bit out of sync for Axar. His own performances with bat and ball haven’t really hit top gear, but more than that, his decision-making on the field has looked shaky at times. Whether it was bowling changes, fielding or reacting to pressure moments, there were phases where DC looked like a team waiting for things to happen rather than trying to push the game their way. Axar, the batsman, has struggled to score this IPL season (screenshot from X)
The numbers only tell part of the story, but they highlight just how much Delhi’s campaign has moved on. After starting the season with back-to-back wins, DC have completely lost their rhythm, vacillating between promising performances and frustrating collapses from one game to the next.
More than the statistics, the timing of the decision hurt them. T20 cricket moves too fast for hesitation and too often this season, Delhi have looked one game at a time. Whether it was the decision to bat first, continue with out-of-shape combinations, or delay changes that looked obvious from the outside, small challenges repeatedly turned against them.
And that is where Axar Patel now finds himself under pressure. He doesn’t need to suddenly become a different captain, but DC desperately needs clearer thinking and stronger convictions in moments of crisis. Supporting players who are in rhythm, react quicker to match situations and show more confidence with tactical challenges can still change the direction of their season.
The good news for Delhi is that the season is not over yet. The bad news is that the room for error is quickly disappearing. Right now, DCs aren’t just fighting opponents or leaderboards. They struggle with confusion, indecision and a campaign that risks slipping before they fully realize it.
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Published on:
06 May 2026 08:07 IST
