Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel with David Miller after loss to Gujarat Titans (Video) NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Murali Kartik believes Delhi Capitals are still mentally scarred by their heartbreaking one-run defeat to Gujarat Titans earlier this IPL season – a loss he feels has completely derailed their campaign.Ahead of DC’s crucial clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, Kartik said the Axar Patel-led team never really recovered from that dramatic defeat at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!“DC, last year they won 4-5 games at the start and this year they won their first two as well. If you look at their team, there is not much wrong,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz. “But that one-round loss against GT, those 2 points, that was a psychological scar for them. That’s causing them problems. I don’t think they’ve recovered from that yet.”
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Hemang Badani admits ‘perform or perish’ as DC faces must-win situationDC looked set for a strong start to IPL 2026 after winning their opening two matches. The dramatic loss against Gujarat – where David Miller ‘controversially’ dismissed a single before the final run out of the ball ended the chase – completely changed the team’s trajectory.
DC campaign picks up steam after GT heartbreak
Since that defeat, Delhi have only managed to win twice in eight matches. Their campaign included extreme highs and lows – from failing to defend 264 to collapsing for 75 in another game.“Then they lose after scoring 264, then they are bowled out for 75, at one stage they were 13-6, so they went a completely different way,” Kartik added.Now seventh in the table with eight points from 10 games, DC need to win all four of their remaining games to realistically stay alive in the playoff race.The Capitals are also struggling at home. Their batting has repeatedly failed on difficult pitches against quality rotation offenses, while pitchers have consistently eluded them throughout the season.
KKR are coming with momentum
In contrast, Kolkata Knight Riders go into the competition with confidence after winning three consecutive matches, including a win over table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad.“I don’t know if KKR are favorites for this match or not, but they will enter the match in a good space,” said Kartik.“There was a time when there was so much criticism against them. The players, the captain and everyone were dragged along.”While KKR’s playoff hopes remain slim, Kartik believes the former champions have at least gained some confidence heading into the business end of the tournament.
