Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin criticised Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel after the IPL team’s loss to Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. In the match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Axar won the toss and opted to bat first. Ashwin pointed out that Delhi witnessed rain for two days, including match day, and bowling first would have been a good choice. Under overcast conditions or in cases where the pitch has been kept under covers due to rain, the team bowling first usually gets some help.
Talking further about the game, Ashwin said that Axar’s batting has been a “complete letdown” in IPL 2026.
Axar, who was retained by Delhi Capitals for Rs 16.50 crore ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, has played 10 games this season, picking up nine wickets and scoring 33 runs.
“Axar looked okay (with the ball); his batting has been a complete letdown this year. And for the last two days, there has been rain in Delhi. The wicket was under covers. How can you bat? They gave away the game to CSK. If Delhi had bowled, they might have ended up winning this game,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
“If you want impact, you can go towards a left-hander like Abishek Porel. They missed a bit of a trick; even the toss was not ideal for them. I think they made way too many mistakes. They are a very good team, good squad, and good players, but they’ve found just another reason to lose. Axar should talk to the curator, share a bond, and ask about the wicket and conditions,” he added.
Delhi Capitals’ struggles with the bat at home continued as they faltered on a testing track to end up with a below-par 155 for seven against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. On a pitch offering assistance to the spinners, with the odd ball holding up, the home batters failed to apply themselves.
In the chase, Sanju Samson scored 87 not out off 52 balls as CSK reached home in 17.3 overs.
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