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3 min readMay 9, 2026 06:57 PM IST
Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel reacts during the IPL match vs the Kolkata Knight Riders. (Express photo | Praveen Khanna)
Former India player Mohammad Kaif said that the Delhi Capitals had too many problems this season, pointing out that their struggling batting lineup and their under-utilization of finisher Ashutosh Sharma. Delhi Capitals were all but knocked out of the play-offs race when they lost to a resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday. It was their fourth loss in a row and DC now find themselves in eighth place on the points table with as many points from 11 matches.
“It was tough to see Axar Patel after the game. DC had too many problems this season. Struggling batting, too many changes and dropped catches. There is a reason, DC is at the bottom of table. Ashutosh Sharma, best uncapped finisher, should have played all games,” Kaif posted on X.
After the match, Axar had admitted that the team has a long journey ahead and said they would begin thinking about plans for next year, including what changes can be made.
It was tough to see Axar Patel after the game. DC had too many problems this season. Struggling batting, too many changes and dropped catches. There is a reason, DC is at the bottom of table. Ashutosh Sharma, best uncapped finsher, should have played all games.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) May 8, 2026
“For now, we’ll go back and think about the mistakes we made. After that, obviously there’s still a long journey ahead, and next year will come too. So we’ll think about what plans we can make for next year and what approach we should take. Based 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,” Patel said in the post-match presentation.
At the start of the IPL season, Delhi Capitals had three wins from their first five games, but the Patel-led side has managed only one win in their last six matches. The team, which was bundled out for 75 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru last month, has since lost to Chennai Super Kings while batting first before Friday’s defeat and once again lost batting first against KKR.
Axar has so far scored only 44 runs in 11 matches while taking ten wickets at an average of 29.10.
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