Delhi Capitals (DC) were outclassed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 48 of the ongoing IPL season at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday (May 5).

Opting to bat, DC struggled early against spinners Noor Ahmad (2-22) and Akeal Hosein (1-19), slumping to 69/5. Sameer Rizvi (40* off 27) and Tristan Stubbs (38 off 32) added a 65-run partnership to push the total to 155/7.

In reply, Sanju Samson (87* off 52) and Kartik Sharma (41* off 31) shared an unbeaten 114-run partnership to take CSK over the line with eight wickets in hand and 15 balls to spare.

Speaking after the game, DC head coach Hemang Badani clarified that the franchise has limited control over pitch preparation at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, defending their decision to bat first after a fourth consecutive home loss in IPL 2026.

“We don't have any control over the surfaces. As much as one would like to think that we are in control of the surfaces we want to play on, there's a clear mandate from the BCCI that they look after the pitches and they're the ones who ensures that there's no local side that gets benefit out of the surfaces. You play what is presented to you,”

"It is a lot easier for a side to field 20 overs and then understand what the surface would be when they bat second, and that is pretty much what happened. I thought the game was lost in the first 10 overs when we didn't get enough; we were about 70 for 5, and you don't want to be 70 for 5 even if it is a tough surface," Badani said in the post-match press conference.

He noted the unpredictability of the home pitch, mentioning a previous game with 265 runs compared to the recent spin-friendly, difficult wickets.

“It has been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get at Delhi, which is our home. One game was a 265, but there is little control that any side has on surfaces,'' the coach added.

Following this loss, Delhi Capitals sit seventh in the team standings with 8 points. They must win all four remaining league matches to reach 16 points and maintain a realistic chance of qualifying for the IPL 2026 playoffs.

“It’s crunch time for us,” Badani told ⁠reporters. “It’s more like a knockout tournament for us right ​now. We have to win ‌four in four to still have a chance to qualify. Everyone understands that in the dressing room and the dugout. Everyone knows that this is where we are now. ‌It’s as simple as perform or perish.”

Badani highlighted a lack of consistent, all-around performance for their downfall, emphasizing that they need more players to show up to remain in the playoff race.

“You can have multiple conversations about permutations and combinations but when you ‌play good cricket, these things fall in place,” Badani stated.

“When we were ​bowling well, the batting didn’t click. If we’re batting well, the bowling has been a bit poor. I ⁠won’t single out a specific department that has done badly ⁠or poorly, but it’s more the case that you want at least 60-70 per cent of your men turning up ‌on a given day. That has been missing. If we can try and get that in the next ​few games, we should be okay,” he remarked.