Islamabad, 28 April 2025: The leadership of Axar Patel has been widely praised in his debut season as captain of Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL, but questions have arisen following their recent loss to RCB.
As the match reached its final stages, the RCB batters gained the upper hand, with key moments in the death overs sparking debate among cricket experts.
With 38 runs needed from 24 balls, RCB appeared to be in a difficult position, especially considering the pitch was not conducive to easy run-scoring.
Despite Mukesh Kumar and Dushmantha Chameera conceding runs, the game turned when Tim David hit Mukesh for four boundaries in the 19th over, putting DC in a vulnerable position.
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With just 17 runs required from the final two overs, Axar Patel’s decision to hand the 19th over to Mukesh instead of his best bowler, Mitchell Starc, became a point of contention.
Former cricketers Anil Kumble, Wasim Jaffer, and Sanjay Bangar all questioned Axar’s decision during post-match discussions.
Kumble suggested that Starc should have bowled the 19th over, given his past success in defending low targets.
Bangar echoed this sentiment, arguing that the thought process behind the decision was flawed, and that Starc’s experience in pressure situations should have been leveraged in the critical moment.
There was also speculation about Axar’s lack of trust in debutant leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam, who had bowled well in his limited opportunities this season.
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Despite having nine wickets in nine games, Nigam has been underused, bowling only 23 overs out of 36 possible.
Jaffer remarked that Axar might have overlooked the leg-spinner due to the presence of a dangerous left-handed batter, Krunal Pandya, in the middle.
Fortunately for DC, the loss hasn’t eliminated them from playoff contention, and they remain in a strong position at No. 4, with six wins from nine matches.
Their upcoming fixtures, including games against Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, offer them opportunities to maintain their playoff ambitions.
