Delhi Capitals’ Saturday loss to Punjab Kings after posting the highest total in IPL at that point made them slip into trauma-they carried that game into the next one on Monday night. And at 75 all out against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, that psychological impact was clearly visible. Axar Patel was honest in his admission. “I think because of what happened in the last game, I felt that even after doing so much as a team, you can win 9 out of 10 times, but after that, it felt like we could not defend back-to-back. I feel there was some hesitation because of that.” That word ‘hesitation’ marks the beginning of a team’s south journey. IPL’s most dangerous pattern is a crash, with that a crash in belief.
This was the trigger
A score of 264 makes a side win 9/10 times, instead, Delhi helplessly and lucklessly watched it get chased down by Punjab Kings. It perhaps was a signal to the group that even their best might not be enough.
That doubt showed up in the next game. Against RCB, Delhi didn’t build an innings. Axar’s line after the game was quite telling: “No batter could really settle… we lost 6 wickets in 15-16 balls.” That speaks of collective disruption.
In T20 cricket, clarity is everything, and the moment that slips, instinct gives way to hesitation. After a high-impact loss like what Delhi Capitals endured against Punjab, batters started reacting to the situation, instead of trusting their natural game, and bowlers smelled that. The RCB bowlers, Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar, just trusted their plans and executed them to perfection.
IPL’s history of familiar spirals
There has been a pattern across seasons:
– Delhi Capitals (2019): a chase from 144/3 to 152 all out vs Kings XI Punjab
– Kolkata Knight Riders (2009): nine straight losses.
– Royal Challengers Bangalore (2016): a strong season, but loss to KKR in big game created a mental block.
In each case, the pattern was identical where one high pressure failure led to doubt, over-correction and then more failure
Back to Delhi: The real test
Axar Patel also said, “You have to forget this day and move on… focus on what you can control.” It may sound like a routine but from here Patel’s only focus will be to lift the team from two mind-bending, morale shattering losses. For the question now won’t be about the skill of this team but whether Delhi can break the sequence of losses.
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