What was Axar Patel thinking? DC captain slammed for tactical blunders in SRH loss
IPL 2026: Axar Patel faces heavy criticism after Delhi Capitals' tactical missteps vs SRH. Overusing a part-timer while underutilising key spinners proved costly as DC lost control in a high-scoring clash on Tuesday.
Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel found himself under heavy criticism after his tactical calls backfired in the loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. The decision-making around his bowling choices became the biggest talking point from the game.
SRH piled up 242/2, with Abhishek Sharma smashing an unbeaten 135, putting DC on the back foot early. The target itself was massive, but how Delhi used their bowlers raised serious questions.
The biggest surprise was the use of Nitish Rana. The part-time off-spinner bowled all four overs and conceded 55 runs without a wicket, while Axar and Kuldeep Yadav bowled just two overs each despite being the side’s main spin options.
SRH vs DC, IPL 2026: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
Former India captain Kris Srikkanth questioned the thinking behind Axar’s decisions, especially the use of Rana at key moments in the game.
“Axar Patel is the captain here and the vice-captain of the T20 World Cup team. Yet, he has bowled only two overs. And he's giving the 16th over to Nitish Rana with Abhishek Sharma well-set. I am not sure where you get the brain for such moves.
“Axar Patel is an international bowler. He and Kuldeep Yadav are in the current Indian T20 World Cup-winning team. And they've both combined to bowl four overs. Then you suddenly bring a Nitish Rana out of nowhere and give him four overs. How's this justified? This is pure absurdity.”
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin focused on the overall bowling plan and how roles were reversed despite having a full-strength attack.
“It didn't happen just once; it happened multiple times. Nitish Rana was essentially used as the primary option in the Delhi Capitals attack, despite specialists like Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, and T. Natarajan being available.
“In DC’s bowling attack, they have Axar, Kuldeep, Lungi, Mukesh, and Natarajan. But the first player to complete his four-over quota was Nitish Rana, and that’s where they lost the match. It has to be the biggest blunder so far.
“Conceding 50 runs in four overs is not a big deal, but if you have five regular bowlers, why did you go for a part-timer?”
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch also pointed out the imbalance in DC’s bowling usage.
“We've been sitting there scratching our heads, haven't we? Your two Indian premier spin bowlers, Axar Patel, the skipper, Kuldeep Yadav, they bowled four overs between them. A part-time offspinner in Nitish Rana has bowled four overs. To me, that makes no sense.”
DC’s problems were not limited to the bowling. They were cruising at 107/1 in the chase before losing wickets in a cluster, with Eshan Malinga breaking the middle order.
HOW DC'S NITISH RANA PLAN BACKFIRED VS SRH
The plan was to use Rana’s off-spin against SRH’s left-handers like Travis Head and Abhishek. But it didn’t work.
Rana was introduced early and even opened the bowling, but instead of slowing things down, he was taken apart and finished with 0/55.
DC continued to rely on him even as runs flowed, while Axar and Kuldeep were underused. Axar, despite having a good record against Abhishek, bowled only two overs.
What looked like a smart plan before the game ended up backfiring badly, costing DC control and eventually the match.
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