Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has taken aim at Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel after DC’s IPL 2026 meeting against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday ended in a 47-run defeat. Chasing a huge target, Delhi Capitals were unable to match the tempo set by their opponents, finishing on 195/9 in 20 overs after Sunrisers Hyderabad had posted 242/2. The cornerstone of SRH’s innings was Abhishek Sharma, who struck an unbeaten 135 off just 68 balls, turning the chase into a steep uphill task from the start.
Finch’s criticism focused heavily on Axar’s handling of his bowling workload. He pointed out that Axar did not complete his full four-over quota, and instead allowed Nitish Rana to bowl his full set of overs for the side. In Finch’s view, that decision became a major tactical misstep. Rana conceded 55 runs in his spell, a figure that Finch highlighted as one of DC’s biggest errors on the night. The former captain also questioned why the two main spin options—Axar and Kuldeep Yadav—were both limited to just two overs each, with the pair collectively giving away 53 runs.
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, Finch said he was struggling to understand the logic behind DC’s bowling plan. “We’ve been sitting there scratching our heads, haven’t we? Your two premier Indian spin bowlers—Axar Patel, the captain, and Kuldeep Yadav—bowled just four overs between them. Meanwhile, a part-time off-spinner in Nitish Rana was given four overs. To me, that makes absolutely no sense,” Finch said.
Finch went further, suggesting the issue might go beyond overs management and reflect a lack of belief in executing a role under pressure. He argued that as a senior and retained player, Axar should be the one entrusted with overs at crucial moments, especially given his experience and record in big tournaments. “It is the responsibility of your captain, your senior player, your retained player—your best bowler. He is a core Indian bowler and a regular in the Indian cricket team. That’s no small achievement. He’s a double World Cup winner. So the fact that he doesn’t trust himself to execute under pressure or to bowl against left-handers says a lot about his attitude,” Finch added.
With the match itself effectively decided by SRH’s total, Abhishek’s run-a-ball dominance carried Hyderabad to their commanding 242/2. Delhi Capitals, despite their efforts in the chase, could not get close to the target and were restricted to 195, sealing a comprehensive defeat that left Axar’s captaincy and bowling choices under sharp scrutiny.
