Axar Patel, Delhi Capitals Shown No Mercy After Another Collapse: ‘Serious Cricket Team?’

Former India cricketer Dodda Ganesh has lashed out Delhi Capitals over their ‘shocking’ team selection in their IPL 2026 clash against Chennai Super Kings on Friday. After captain Axar Patel opted to bat, DC suffered a batting collapse at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The hosts were reduced to 69/5 at the end of the 11th over before Sameer Rizvi (40 not out) and Tristan Stubbs (38) added a crucial 65 runs take DC to a respectable total of 155/7.

Taking to X, Ganesh slammed Axar and the DC management for their selection calls, questioning the decision to bench impact players like Prithvi Shaw, Abishek Porel, and David Miller. Ganesh wondered aloud whether DC is operating like a “serious franchise,” given the tactical blunders seen so far.

“There’s so much Indian batting talent available in Delhi’s camp. They can so easily open with Shaw/Rana/Porel along with KL, & have Miller in the middle order. Instead, the geniuses play Nissanka at the top & drop Miller. Tell me, how can this be a serious cricket team?” Ganesh wrote on X.

DC’s free fall began with the loss of opener Pathum Nissanka who failed to clear the mid-on fielder off a slower ball from left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary.

Both Nissanka (19 off 15) and K L Rahul (12 off 13) began with crisp boundaries but did not last long. After Nissanka, Rahul attempted an inside-out hit off left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein but could not get to the pitch of the ball on the charge to be caught by opposition captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.

DC laboured to 37 for two in the powerplay with Hosein bowling half of the overs including one from the other end that produced the wicket of Rahul.

Axar had the ideal opportunity to make an impact with the bat but fell to a soft dismissal, offering a sitter to the cover fielder off a Gurjapneet Singh ball that appeared to stop on him. DC were now reeling at 69 for five in 11 overs.

Tristan Stubbs (38 off 31) and impact player Sameer Rizvi (40 not out off 24) hit a flurry of sixes to take the innings forward in their 65-run stand but the damage done in the first half of the game could not be reversed as DC ended with an underwhelming total.

(With PTI Inputs)

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