Axar Patel admitted that both the batting and bowling units let Delhi Capitals down after their eight-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 on Friday. The defeat left DC’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread, with the captain also hinting that the team has already started thinking about next season.Delhi Capitals could only manage 142/8 at home before KKR chased down the target with 14.2 overs. Finn Allen scored an unbeaten 100, while Cameron Green remained not out in the 33rd over as KKR completed an easy chase.The capital currently ranks eighth in the standings with eight points from 11 matches. KKR advanced to seventh place with nine points from 10 matches after achieving its fourth consecutive victory.Speaking after the match, Axar said: “For now, we will go back and think about the mistakes we made.
After that, it is clear that there is still a long journey ahead of us and next year will come as well. “So we will 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 chances and what changes we can make,” he added.Axar said the total of 142 was not enough and also pointed out the mistakes made by the players while defending.
“I think the kicks were definitely below average and at the same time the players made quite a few mistakes. Looking at the way the pitch behaved, I feel the players made mistakes.”“At the same time, we lost five wickets in two or three overs, and I think that’s where the momentum slipped away from us. Maybe that’s something we need to think about because the same thing happened against CSK… We started well, and then suddenly the wickets kept falling,” he added.The DC skipper said the team needs to handle pressure better when wickets fall quickly.“Look, you can’t solve it in a complicated way. So, I think it’s 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’s what needs to be applied, when wickets are falling in bunches, you need to absorb the pressure for an over or two,” Axar said.
