Aaron Finch, Australia T20 World Cup 2021 winning captain, has slammed Delhi Capitals (DC) management and captain Axar Patel for making the same mistakes repeatedly in the ongoing IPL 2026.
This time, he was baffled by Axar’s decision to bat first against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Delhi on May 5, despite DC losing every game this season when defending a total. DC had even lost to Punjab Kings despite posting 264 runs on the board in Delhi.
However, against CSK, Axar Patel won the toss and still decided to bat first. He explained that he anticipated the pitch would slow down, and he wanted to give his bowlers an advantage later on.
“We will bat first. I think the surface looks good, and we feel it’s an excellent pitch. Maybe in the second innings it might slow down a bit, so I’d like to give that advantage to our bowlers,” he had said.
The DC top order did not develop a solid foundation or obtain a high score. At 69/5, Pathum Nissanka (19), KL Rahul (12), Nitish Rana (15), Karun Nair (13), and Axar Patel (9) left DC. Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs combined for 65 runs to help DC make a comeback.
DC scored 155/7 in 20 overs, thanks to Stubbs' 38 in 31 balls and Rizvi's 40* in 24 balls, including four sixes. Noor Ahmad scored 2/22 for CSK.
In response, a fit-again Lungi Ngidi dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad for six to give DC a solid start, while Urvil Patel was bowled for a nine-ball 17 by Axar Patel. However, Sanju Samson kept one end busy while also scoring quickly.
He remained 87* with 7 fours and 6 sixes, and he and Kartik Sharma shared an unbeaten 114-run partnership for the third wicket. Kartik scored 41* in 31 balls, including four fours and two sixes. CSK won the game in 17.3 overs, with 8 wickets in hand.
Finch chastised Axar for the "head-scratching" choice, claiming it "made no sense" given the wealth of information accessible to teams in the age of data and analytics.
“Absolutely, it was a big mess-up. You can’t sugarcoat it. When you have all the information with you—that they haven’t won batting first—it makes no sense. We keep scratching our heads with some of the decisions DC makes," Finch said on ESPNcricinfo.
Finch also mentioned that Delhi has struggled with tactical errors throughout the season, dropping from a top-four status early on to seventh after their tenth game.
“See, I can understand gut-feel calls made on the field; I can also understand poor execution—winning and losing are all part of the game. But when you are making black-and-white decisions wrong time and time again, that’s a concern,” he added.
Delhi will next face the Kolkata Knight Riders on May 8.
