Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has taken aim at Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel after DC\u2019s 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\u2019s innings was Abhishek Sharma, who struck an unbeaten 135 off just 68 balls, turning the chase into a steep uphill task from the start.<\/p>\n
Finch\u2019s criticism focused heavily on Axar\u2019s 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\u2019s view, that decision became a major tactical misstep. Rana conceded 55 runs in his spell, a figure that Finch highlighted as one of DC\u2019s biggest errors on the night. The former captain also questioned why the two main spin options\u2014Axar and Kuldeep Yadav\u2014were both limited to just two overs each, with the pair collectively giving away 53 runs.<\/p>\n
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo\u2019s Time Out show, Finch said he was struggling to understand the logic behind DC\u2019s bowling plan. \u201cWe\u2019ve been sitting there scratching our heads, haven\u2019t we? Your two premier Indian spin bowlers\u2014Axar Patel, the captain, and Kuldeep Yadav\u2014bowled 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,\u201d Finch said.<\/p>\n
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. \u201cIt is the responsibility of your captain, your senior player, your retained player\u2014your best bowler. He is a core Indian bowler and a regular in the Indian cricket team. That\u2019s no small achievement. He\u2019s a double World Cup winner. So the fact that he doesn\u2019t trust himself to execute under pressure or to bowl against left-handers says a lot about his attitude,\u201d Finch added.<\/p>\n
With the match itself effectively decided by SRH\u2019s total, Abhishek\u2019s 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\u2019s captaincy and bowling choices under sharp scrutiny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has taken aim at Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel after DC\u2019s IPL 2026 meeting against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday ended…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Aaron Finch Slams Axar Patel After DC vs SRH IPL Loss","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Aaron Finch hits out at Axar Patel after Delhi Capitals\u2019 IPL 2026 shock 47-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, where Abhishek Sharma smashed 135*.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n