Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel admitted he had little clarity after his side was crushed twice in under two days in IPL 2026. Having already fallen short when they failed to defend 264 against Punjab Kings on Saturday, Delhi were then bundled out for a paltry 75 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday. The collapse began immediately, with the team sliding to 9 for 6 during the Powerplay as Bhuvneshwar Kumar found movement with the new ball and Josh Hazlewood kept applying pressure through the short-ball approach. It was also the lowest total Delhi have managed this season, and RCB wrapped up the chase with a nine-wicket win that never looked in doubt.
At the post-match presentation, Axar reflected on the shock nature of the defeat. “Even I don’t know what happened. That’s why they say you have to be on your toes in cricket. We have to move on from this match,” he said. He then revisited several turning points from the recent stretch, including a missed opportunity to take a single against Gujarat Titans, along with dropped chances involving Karun Nair during the game versus Punjab Kings.
Axar suggested those moments could have changed Delhi’s momentum. “From today’s point of view, you can say it did affect, but you can look back—if the catches were taken (Nair) or had we taken the single against GT, then momentum would have been with us. The game is such that there is no room for ifs and buts. You have to be positive; you had a bad day and take the positives from the last 5–6 games,” he added.
Despite acknowledging the impact of the bowling, the Delhi captain did not entirely buy the argument that the conditions offered excessive swing. His stance remained even after Bhuvneshwar’s inswinger accounted for debutant Sahil Parakh. “I wasn’t surprised. They are world-class bowlers; they swing it every ground. But if our openers or top order had played them out, then the result might have been different,” Axar said.
Hazlewood, meanwhile, explained that he wasn’t certain how the surface would behave after the venue hosted a high-scoring encounter the previous match, where more than 500 runs were put on the board. Dismissing KL Rahul and Nitish Rana using short balls, the Australian said he had followed the early cues from Bhuvneshwar as the game developed. “Probably turning up here after 500-plus runs in the last game, was not sure what was going to happen,” Hazlewood said, before adding that he took guidance from Bhuvneshwar’s start.
He elaborated on the conditions and how the ball came into play. “Was just following his (Bhuvneshwar) lead. There was a bit there in the first six overs—enough there to work with—and it was skidding on quickly from a short of a length. Once the ball got soft, it got more even,” Hazlewood explained. He also detailed his thinking for the dismissal of Rana, describing the intent behind the short-ball plan. “In general, you wanted the batter to hit it down the wicket and in the V. The short ball was nice as well—just about the accuracy. When that ball was nice and hard, it was tough to bat. Would have been nice to bowl four and get off the field,” he said.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar echoed the sense that the pitch offered a different challenge than expected. “Even I am surprised the way wicket played,” he said. Patidar credited the bowler-led execution for the turnaround. “All credit goes to the bowlers, Bhuvi and Hazlewood. They hit the right areas. The swing was normal, but the good thing was we got early wickets and that kept us in the driving seat. The way Suyash Sharma bowled—stump to stump—it was really good to see,” he concluded.
