Axar Patel injury update: Delhi Capitals captain out of IPL 2026?

Delhi Capitals (DC) had suffered an injury scare during their IPL 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) when captain Axar Patel suddenly had to walk off the field after struggling with pain while batting during the chase at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (April 18).

Axar Patel looked in full control on 26 runs off 19 balls, but he suddenly felt strong cramps in his calf. He tried to carry on, but the pain didn’t allow him. After a short check from the physio, he had to retire hurt and leave the ground, which created tension in the DC dugout.

Relief for DC as positive update comes on Axar Patel

After their 6-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Delhi Capitals’ Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao shared a positive update on Axar’s fitness.

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He made it clear that it was only cramps and Axar should be fine and ready for the next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on April 21 in Hyderabad.

Venugopal Rao said at the post-match press conference, "Just a cramp. Cramp, that's it. He'll be fit for the next game.”

We need to push: DC Director of Cricket on Axar Patel's strong comeback against RCB

Meanwhile, the director of cricket also opened up about Axar Patel’s mixed season so far. His batting has not clicked much, with 29 runs in five matches, but he has still made an impact with the ball by picking up 5 wickets and keeping things tight with an economy around 7.5.

The DC’s captain's best show came against RCB, as he looked more confident with both bat and ball, scoring 26 runs and also taking 2 wickets for 18 runs. However, Axar has been getting full support as captain in the Delhi camp, as the all-rounder is also putting in a lot of effort behind the scenes.

He further noted, “Of course, when you're captaining the side, you always look into not only his captaincy but also the ball and bat. He's working hard. He said to us, ‘I've been working on it for some amount of time.' I think he spent a lot of time in the nets in the last couple of days. It showed this result. At the same time, among the wickets, at the end of the day, we need to push.”

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'Bowl it, Bapu': How Hemang Badani fired up Axar Patel

Venugopal said that DC’s coaching staff, including head coach Hemang Badani, has been backing Axar to stay positive and trust his all-round skills, especially during tough moments. And that support helped him bounce back with wickets in important spells.

He signed off by saying, “I think the coach was pushing him to bowl when Devdutt Padikkal was batting. He was like, 'Come on, put it in. Wicket will come.' Sometimes, you know the strength. If you see it from the outside, you know that he can do it. But as you're low in confidence, you feel that somebody has to push. I think that's where Hemang Badani has said, 'Bowl it, Bapu.' It'll come.' And he got one wicket and then dismissed Tim David also.”