Delhi Capitals bowling mentor Munaf Patel made it clear that the team’s mindset has shifted from simply going through the motions to chasing results with urgency. Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Chennai Super Kings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Patel said DC have moved beyond a “relaxed” approach and are now focused on sustaining the kind of winning momentum needed to keep their hopes alive for the IPL 2026 playoffs. Both franchises are level on points at eight, but DC sit seventh because their net run rate is currently negative. With the stakes rising and both teams staring at similar scenarios on the table, Patel believes the match will be an important test of whether DC’s turnaround can truly be sustained, especially after they successfully chased 226 against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.
In the pre-match press interaction, Patel underlined that every remaining game must be treated as a must-win. “You don’t really have any other choice but to win. Of course, we play every match to win, but the relaxed phase is over. If you want to qualify, you have to win your matches. We have already won, and we have moved on from it. If we keep dwelling on that win, we will end up losing again. It’s better to forget it and push forward with the momentum from the last victory,” Patel said.
Patel also stressed that DC require a run of dependable performances if they are to climb further up the points standings. However, their progress has been slowed this season by just a single win at home. With the tournament reaching its decisive stretch and venues expected to offer slower playing conditions, he expressed strong belief that DC’s main spin duo—Kuldeep Yadav and captain Axar Patel—can make full use of the environment.
“Our responsibility is to keep them motivated. We talk to them about their mistakes so they can keep improving. Once you’re out there, the chat from me and Hemang (Kumar) ends—because once the players are on the field, they have to execute. You can motivate them as much as you want,” Patel explained. “But unless they are properly motivated, or they can’t bowl to their strengths, or they aren’t able to deliver according to the batter’s weaknesses, there’s nothing else you can do. Confidence usually comes from winning. I firmly believe you can’t build confidence by losing.”
Patel further pointed out that slower wickets are not a concern for DC, given the quality of their spin resources. “You’re talking about slow wickets—those spinners who are part of the T20 World Cup set-up, Kuldeep and Axar, they are already there. There’s no reason to think they won’t play or won’t be effective because we have one of the best spin bowling units. We don’t have anything to complain about if the wicket is slow. In fact, if it is slow, it’s better for us because we have top spinners and it will work in our favour,” he added.
At the same time, Munaf suggested that the surfaces may not be as sluggish as many expect. He argued that even when pitches have previously enabled batters to pile up totals above 200, the slowdown might not be as dramatic going forward. “If it slows down, that’s very good for us. I said earlier that our spinners are among the best in the tournament. But I feel the wickets won’t be as slow as we think they will be, and they won’t be like they were before—because you get time,” Patel said.
Patel then linked the expected pace of wickets to the schedule and weather. “If you get five days and play somewhere else, it’s fine. If you get a four-day gap, then four or five days is enough to make a wicket, unless the weather changes—if it rains, the pitch gets covered and can slow down. Otherwise, I don’t think the wickets will be as slow as we’re anticipating,” he said.
He also dismissed the idea that pitches will become completely unplayable for batters. “They won’t be that slow. I mean, they might be about 20 percent slower, but not 50 percent. It can be that way because the wickets aren’t as slow as we think. And it’s not happening the way you might imagine—just look at what we’ve seen. We played a match in Rajasthan and chased 226. So I believe batters will still be able to score around 200 in games,” Patel added.
On tactics, Patel pushed back against the idea that bowlers must copy what has worked for others in previous matches. He specifically referenced trends such as Krunal Pandya experimenting with bouncers, the general practice of throwing deliveries aggressively, and the impact of CSK pacer Anshul Kamboj bowling from around the wicket—particularly during the death overs. “Look, every bowler has their own style. If Krunal is doing something and you try to make it happen with Axar, he can’t, because he didn’t do it. So you can’t step out of the box and force the same plan just because someone else succeeded,” Patel said.
Patel acknowledged that bowlers can always add variety, but the approach should fit the individual. “You can add a ball—like a slower one, or a knuckle ball, or a bouncer. You can add those things. But it’s not that you have to go out of the box and do the same thing everyone did when one person gets success. That’s not how it works, and that’s what I feel,” he concluded.
