Axar Patel has found the going tough.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
In the marathon that is the Indian Premier League (IPL), losing a match after winning four on the trot isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can help address a few frailties that may tend to get brushed under the carpet during a winning streak. For Delhi Capitals, then, the 12-run defeat to Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday in its fifth match of the season may have come at an appropriate time.
As it gears up for another home game against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday, there are a couple of crucial cogs in the DC camp who will be hoping to fire. At the top of the order, Jake Fraser-McGurk has not teed off in the manner that his ball-striking ability warrants. His subpar scores have meant that DC has had only one opening stand of fifty-plus in five matches.
Yet to light up the stage is also skipper Axar Patel. Beneath his jovial exterior is a seriously good all-rounder, but his returns this season haven’t been on par with his standing. His left-arm spin hasn’t yielded any breakthroughs, and he hasn’t capitalised on his starts in the middle-order.
In the wake of two consecutive defeats, RR, of course, has graver concerns. While it has an impressive array of individuals in the batting unit, the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer haven’t clicked as a collective.
The bowling attack seems overly reliant on Jofra Archer for wickets inside the first six overs. When he doesn’t deliver, Samson has a hard job reining in the opposition.
Published – April 15, 2025 07:08 pm IST
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