IPL 2025: Axar Patel Blames Middle-Order Collapse and Soft Dismissals For Delhi Capitals’ First Defeat

April 14, 2025: Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel expressed his disappointment after his team’s first defeat in IPL 2025, losing to Mumbai Indians (MI) by 12 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The loss came after DC’s unbeaten run in their first four matches of the season.

In the chase, Karun Nair’s brilliant 89-run knock stood out as the only significant contribution from the DC batting line-up. However, the rest of the middle order faltered, resulting in a batting collapse that ultimately led to their defeat. Patel rued the soft dismissals and bad shots from the middle order, which derailed the chase.

“We had the game in the bag. Some soft dismissals and bad shots in the middle order. You can’t leave it to the batters in the lower order every time,” Axar said in the post-match presentation. He added that the team shouldn’t dwell on the defeat and that it was just one of those days.

Patel also praised the conditions, noting that while the ball was initially stopping, it got better as the game progressed and the dew helped them. Speaking about the spinners, he highlighted Kuldeep Yadav’s brilliant form and emphasized that two out of their three spinners can bowl during the powerplay and death overs.

The DC captain concluded by focusing on moving forward, saying, “Need to forget this game from a batting point of view.”

With the loss, Delhi Capitals will now look to bounce back in their upcoming matches and continue their pursuit for a top spot in the league.