Axar Patel, India’s formidable all-rounder, is facing significant pushback from Delhi Capitals fans for the franchise’s disappointing display in the ongoing IPL 2026. The criticism surrounding Axar’s role as the leader of the pack peaked on Tuesday evening when the Delhi Capitals decided to bat first against the Chennai Super Kings and failed to score big at their home ground, Arun Jaitley Stadium, in the national capital.
The below-par score of 155/7 set by Delhi Capitals was achieved with ease by the Chennai Super Kings camp led by unbeaten Sanju Samson (87) and Kartik Sharma (41), who cruised to the target with 8 wickets to spare and 15 deliveries left in their account.
The loss hurt Delhi deeply as their chances of advancing to the playoffs
diminished sharply, prompting fans to swiftly reprimand their captain, Axar. DC are currently placed at #7 on the points table with 8 points (4 wins, 6 losses) to their name.
Axar Patel’s Quiet Bat
Patel, who is more than a handy customer when it comes to batting, is having a torrid run with the bat for his side this season. Axar scored 2 against CSK on Tuesday and has only touched double digits once so far.
- 0 (1)
- 2 (3)
- 1 (2)
- 26* (19)
- 2 (3)
- 0 (3)
- 2 (6)
He averaged 5.5 while mustering only 33 runs so far.
Is Axar Patel Feeling The Heat?
Delhi Capitals have four matches left. While Delhi aren’t ruled out of the race yet, their chances remain paper-thin considering there are, at the time of writing, six teams above them fighting for a berth in the playoffs.
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Speaking during the post-match presentation, Axar erroneously stated that his side, Delhi Capitals, needed to win the next five contests to stay in the hunt for the IPL 2026 trophy. DC have only four matches lined up.
Axar Patel said, “we have 5 matches left, need to win every game”.
DC have already played 10 matches! pic.twitter.com/wauOSQLi9l
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 5, 2026
Did He Throw Kuldeep Yadav Under The Bus?
Axar, in the post-match, admitted that his side were short by 10–15 runs of a competitive total against Chennai Super Kings at home ground on Tuesday.
“I feel it (pitch) got a little better, but I think the difference was made by the set batter. When a batter is well set, it feels like there is nothing in the pitch, but I still feel there was something in it,” Delhi Capitals captain said.
“For a new batter coming in, it was not easy. It wasn’t easy for new players because, you know, the length balls were holding up, sometimes staying low, and occasionally even bouncing after holding. So I feel it was very difficult for new batters. But when set batters were playing, it looked easier. You could see the way Sanju took the game forward,” he added.
Also Read: ‘Dear Cricket…’: How Karun Nair’s Old Tweet Came Back To Bite Him In IPL 2026
While the DC captain was impressive with the ball, conceding 25 runs in his four overs for a wicket, he opined that the side did not work together as a bowling unit, which hurt them on the night. “Considering our batting, I think that’s a positive. Even after losing five wickets, the way we finished at the end was good. So yes, that is a positive, but I feel in bowling, I missed my (bowling) partner Kuldeep,” Axar said. Kuldeep Yadav went wicketless for 34 runs in 3 overs. Yadav, a genuine game-changer, has failed to weave his web this summer. The left-arm wrist-spinner has scalped 7 wickets in 10 matches and conceded 311 runs at a pricey economy rate of 10.37, his costliest in the entire IPL career.
Axar Patel As A Captain
Axar proved to be a sound captain with plenty of tricks and tactics up his sleeve when he donned the hat as the Delhi Capitals’ skipper in 2025 for the first time. He scored 263 runs, his second-best effort with the bat in his IPL career. He took his side to five wins out of the first six matches. The franchise eventually finished fifth with 15 points to their name, but Axar left a lasting impact.
A year later, his leadership skills have come under the scanner.
Axar Patel is the worst captain in IPL 2026, he chose to bat first on this tough track and Delhi hasn't won a single match this season while batting first 🤡 pic.twitter.com/ua1MRoE0fD
— Maxi (@Maxi_targaryen) May 5, 2026
Badani & Axar is such a terrible coach- skipper duo. There isn't one reason why both should deserve one more year. You can't be missing out on playoffs both the seasons with this squad. It's a total mess.
— arfan (@Im__Arfan) May 5, 2026
– Decided to bat first on this pitch.
– Sent Axar and Karun Nair ahead of Stubbs, Rizvi, and Ashutosh. pic.twitter.com/3YaWK8if2s— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) May 5, 2026
“You cannot expect to change team combinations every 2 matches and expect them to qualify. This for some reason happens every season with DC ! (sic),” commented one X user.
