It was a night to forget for Delhi Capitals but their captain Axar Patel chose to stay calm and look ahead. After a crushing loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday, Axar spoke about the need to stay focused and bounce back stronger.
Delhi Capitals had a disastrous start with the bat. The team collapsed to 13/6 in the powerplay, which became the lowest powerplay score in the history of the Indian Premier League. The innings never recovered and DC were bowled out for just 75 runs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood led the attack, tearing through the top order and leaving the batting lineup in complete disarray.
Chasing a small target, RCB made things look easy. They reached 76 runs in under seven overs, securing a dominant nine-wicket victory and handing DC one of their worst defeats this season.
After the match, former cricketer Murali Kartik who was hosting the presentation acknowledged how difficult it was to ask questions after such a heavy loss; in fact, he said sorry to Axar Patel for asking questions to him after such a heartbreaking loss. Despite the situation, Axar managed to stay composed and even smiled at times during the conversation.
Reflecting on the game, Axar Patel admitted that the team is still trying to understand what went wrong. He explained that in cricket, players need to stay alert every day and keep putting in consistent effort. He also emphasises the importance of moving on quickly, leaving behind bad performances and focusing on the next match instead of overthinking mistakes.
However, such a performance naturally raises concerns. A collapse like 13/6 is not just a bad day, it points to deeper issues like preparation and decision-making. While staying calm is important, Delhi Capitals will need more than just composure to recover from a defeat of this scale.
