Delhi Capitals (DC) ended their IPL 2026 campaign with a 40-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Sunday (May 24).
Put into bat, DC posted 203/5 in 20 overs, with Rahul top-scoring with 60 off 30. In response, KKR collapsed to 163 all out in 18.4 overs as Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi bagged three wickets each for the visitors.
Despite being mathematically out of playoff contention earlier, the Capitals refused to give up, with captain Axar Patel stating he is "very proud" of the late-season effort.
“I would say that in the last three matches, the way we played, even when you know things are not going well, the way the team fought after that, I am very proud. No one thought that we would just give up and think we are already out. Things were not going well, but still the effort in the last matches, I am very proud of that,” Axar said at the post-match presentation.
DC finished the season in sixth place with 7 wins from 14 matches. Axar rued fine margins in close games, noting that the outcome of just one match and crucial moments like taking catches could have put the team in a completely different position.
“Firstly, you have to accept your mistakes. After that, you realize what you need to do better. That is the positive you have to take forward. If you talk about one match, if just one match had gone differently, things could have been very different. I think the last time we played good cricket, it was just about one match. If that one match had gone our way, we would have been talking differently. Like we spoke about at the toss, moments like catches were very important. If that had happened, today we would have been in a different position,” he explained.
Reflecting on the leadership learnings, Axar Patel stated that a captain must stay calm to avoid taking frustrated, hasty decisions.
“I have learned that obviously the IPL is a tournament where you have to take care of everyone. But at the end, if you are in a good frame of mind, then only you can handle everything properly. If you are not in a good frame of mind, then you can take wrong decisions or get frustrated and do something else. I think it is very important to stay calm. If I feel that things are not going well or I am getting frustrated, I give myself time and first relax my own mind. Because I will be able to relax other people only if I am in a good frame of mind,” he remarked.
Axar backed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to win the IPL title this season, He emphasized that once their top three batters get going, they become virtually impossible to stop.
“(On the strongest team among the qualifiers) I think SRH are looking very strong. When their top 3 score runs, that team becomes very difficult to stop. So I think SRH,” he concluded.
The 2026 IPL playoffs feature SRH, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Titans, and Rajasthan Royals. RCB will face GT in Qualifier 1 on May 26 in Dharamsala, while SRH will meet RR in the Eliminator on May 27 in New Chandigarh. The winner of the Eliminator will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2 on May 29 in New Chandigarh
The title clash will be held at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31.
