Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that Axar Patel's uninspired captaincy and Kuldeep Yadav's indifferent form have been the two biggest factors in Delhi Capitals' weakness. ipl 2026 Campaign.
Another issue troubling the franchise is the lack of a stable team combination. The Capitals have used 20 players so far, which is joint second with Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.
The Axar Patel-led team is placed seventh in the points table with eight points from 10 matches. After starting the tournament with two consecutive wins, the Capitals have lost their way and lost four of their last five games, setting up a race for the playoffs.
Pathan conceded that the Capitals have enough firepower to qualify for the playoffs even in the current situation, but said it would require better on-field decisions and contribution from the entire team.
“I think, last year and this year too, Delhi was a team that was a strong contender to be in the top four. If you look at the players, they are very experienced and well-established players in this team. If you talk about KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc and even Lungi Ngidi who has done well in the World Cup, we all know that their diversity gives a lot of trouble to the big players,” Pathan told NDTV. quoted as saying.
He said, “If you look at Miller this season, he was also there to solve DC's issue of lack of experience in finishing games last year. But I think the match against Gujarat Titans, in which they lost on the last ball, will haunt him a lot because yes, it is not easy for any player to take responsibility and say I will win the match and every player wants to do that. But sometimes you take wrong decisions under pressure.”
The Capitals have also been one of the teams that has consistently struggled to take advantage of the proverbial home advantage, managing just one win in five matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season. This has been a recurring issue for the franchise, as they have managed only two wins in 10 matches at the venue since IPL 2025.
“Look, I think two things have been a big factor for Delhi Capitals – one, I think the decision-making could have been better. If we talk about the last game, winning the toss, batting first and thinking that conditions will get better later on was an issue.
“Especially when there was a match against RCB at the same ground a few days ago, they were batting first and were out for 75. There was a weather problem that day and in this match against CSK also there was rain and there was a possibility of bad weather.
“So you want to chase there, and you won the toss also. So, a little bit of decision making, I think, was a bit of a problem in that. Then, not having the availability of Mitchell Starc at the beginning of the season, was a problem. But I think they could have used their resources better,” Pathan said.
The former all-rounder also talked about Kuldeep's form. The left-arm wrist spinner has conceded runs at an average of 10.4 this season, taking only seven wickets and going wicketless in five of his nine innings.
“Secondly, Kuldeep Yadav not being in form is a big problem for Delhi because you are dependent on him, right? Especially on a turning track, where there was little help from the pitch, and if you give away runs and don't even take a wicket, it is a matter of concern.
“Look, he is a very good bowler, and there is no doubt about that. But for any team going above 10 runs per over, you would expect better performance from your main spinner. So these are 2-3 things in which Delhi could have been much better. Had that been the case, perhaps their team would have played to that potential, and they would have seen better results,” Pathan added.
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