Axar Patel admitted that both Delhi Capitals\u2019 batting and bowling departments fell short as they suffered an eight-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 on Friday. The loss has left DC\u2019s chances of reaching the playoffs extremely slim, and the captain suggested the group has already started looking ahead to next season as he reflected on what went wrong.<\/p>\n
Delhi posted 142\/8 in their home fixture, but KKR got the chase done comfortably in 14.2 overs. Finn Allen anchored the run chase with an unbeaten century, finishing on 100* and giving Kolkata a steady platform throughout. Cameron Green also stayed unbeaten on 33*, ensuring that the target was never under serious pressure once the partnership got going.<\/p>\n
With the result, Delhi Capitals remain eighth in the standings, having collected eight points from 11 matches. Kolkata Knight Riders, meanwhile, climbed to seventh place after moving to nine points from 10 games, extending their momentum with their fourth consecutive victory.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the match, Axar said the side would analyse the areas that cost them and then turn their focus toward the longer picture. \u201cFor now, we\u2019ll go back and think about the mistakes we made. After that, obviously there\u2019s still a long journey ahead and next year will come too. So we\u2019ll think about what plans we can make for next year and what approach we should take,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also pointed to the need to evaluate options within the squad. \u201cBased on that, we can also look at the players sitting on the bench and decide who can be given opportunities and what changes we can make,\u201d Axar added.<\/p>\n
Axar felt the total of 142 was below par and stressed that the spinners were unable to execute their plans cleanly during the defensive phase. \u201cI think the runs were definitely below par and at the same time the spinners made quite a few mistakes. Looking at the way the pitch behaved, I feel the spinners did make errors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On the swing moments, the captain highlighted the impact of losing wickets in quick succession. \u201cAt the same time, we lost five wickets in two-three overs, and I think that\u2019s where the momentum slipped away from us. That\u2019s probably something we need to think about because the same thing happened against CSK… we started well, and then suddenly wickets kept falling,\u201d Axar remarked.<\/p>\n
Axar further emphasised that the team must learn to deal with pressure when wickets fall in clusters. \u201cSee, you can\u2019t solve it in a complicated way. So, I think it\u2019s more about applying the right mindset. Even if you lose one or two wickets, you can still spend time at the crease and play through it. I think that\u2019s what needs to be applied, when wickets are falling in clusters, you need to absorb the pressure for an over or two,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Axar Patel admitted that both Delhi Capitals\u2019 batting and bowling departments fell short as they suffered an eight-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026: Axar Patel Hints DC Look Beyond Playoffs","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026: After DC\u2019s 8-wicket loss to KKR, Axar Patel admits chances are slim and hints the team is already planning beyond the playoffs.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n