Kuldeep struggled on the sticky Kotla wicket, leaking 34 runs in 3 wicketless overs.
Delhi Capitals (DC) suffered a comprehensive eight-wicket against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 48th match of IPL 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday (May 5).
Opting to bat first, the hosts were restricted to 155/7, with Sameer Rizvi (40*) and Tristan Stubbs (38) offering resistance after a top-order collapse. Noor Ahmad (2/22) and Akeal Hosein (1/19) delivered stunning bowling spells for CSK.
In reply, Sanju Samson (87* off 52) and Kartik Sharma (41* off 31) shared an unbeaten 114-run partnership to take the visitors over the line with 15 balls to spare.
Speaking after the game, DC skipper Axar Patel acknowledged his team was around 10-15 runs short. He noted that while the pitch improved slightly, it still posed challenges for new batters
“The way the wicket was playing in the first innings, I felt that yes, 155 was a good score. But since we were playing with eight batters, I felt we were about 10-15 runs short,” Axar said during the post-match presentation.
“(on the pitch) I feel it got a little better, but I think the difference was made by the set batter. When a batter is well set, it feels like there is nothing in the pitch, but I still feel there was something in it. For a new batter coming in, it was not easy. Yes, it wasn’t easy for new players because, you know, the length balls were holding up, sometimes staying low, and occasionally even bouncing after holding. So I feel it was very difficult for new batters. But when set batters were playing, it looked easier. You could see the way Sanju took the game forward,” he explained.
After collapsing to 69/5 in the 11th over, the Capitals were rescued by a lower-order fightback from Rizvi and Stubbs, pushing the total in excess of 150.
Reflecting on their batting, Axar said: “Yes, obviously, considering our batting, I think that’s a positive. Even after losing five wickets, the way we finished at the end was good. So yes, that is a positive.”
While Axar bowled an economical spell (1/25 in 4 overs), his spin partner Kuldeep Yadav struggled on the sticky pitch, leaking 34 runs in 3 wicketless overs without offering his usual control.
Hence, Axar bluntly stated, “I feel in bowling, I missed my partner Kuldeep.”
Following their loss to CSK, DC sit seventh in the IPL 2026 team standings with 8 points. To keep their playoff hopes alive, the team needs to win their remaining four league matches to reach the 16-point safety mark.
Axar Patel said that with no room for error left, the team needs to play with a clear mindset and make sure they convert every opportunity into a win.
“Yes, obviously, we cannot afford any mistakes now. So we have to go in with a clear mindset that whatever time or chances we get, we must win,” he concluded.