Axar Patel just a puppet? DC skipper exposes KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis’ influence after win vs SRH

Axar Patel-led Delhi Capitals (DC) locked horns with the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 10th match of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025).

Team Delhi Capitals won the match against Team Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets with 24 balls remaining at the Dr. YSR ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, March 30.

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We need to focus on our plans and process - Axar Patel

Bowling first in the match, the DC bowling attack led by Mitchell Starc's five-wicket haul, bowled out SRH for a below-par total of 163 runs. Chasing the target, Faf du Plessis smashed a brilliant fifty, and others provided him good support as DC completed the run-chase in the 16th over.

Speaking after the match, Axar Patel said that they only want to focus on their plans and process as there are 10 good teams taking part in the competition. He said:

"I have told before that I am going to lead the side in the same manner. You need to be up with your game. You can't take any game easily, there are 10 good teams playing.

"We need to focus on our plans and process. Today we were successful in doing so."

We have experienced players in the team, they give me suggestions - Axar Patel

While talking about his plans to use Mitchell Starc, Axar Patel revealed that he wanted to split his four overs in 2-2 in two halves, but gave him a third over as SRH were under pressure. He said:

"Plan was to give Starc two overs at the start and two overs at the end, but he was in good rhythm. Hence, I gave him the third over and he was able to pick an important wicket."

Axar Patel further said that experienced players in the DC camp - KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis, and others - keep offering him suggestions from time to time. He stated:

"We have experienced players in the team, they give me suggestions. Sometimes I follow them. Enjoying playing with these players. We are playing at Kotla since many years, we'll have similar plans. Need to assess the conditions after going there."

How did DC perform in the previous IPL match against SRH?

In their previous IPL match, Delhi Capitals had a poor outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 20, 2024, as they suffered a 67-run defeat.

Bowling first against the power-packed SRH unit, Delhi Capitals had a nightmarish outing as they ended up conceding 266 runs in 20 overs. Kuldeep Yadav emerged as a top performer, picking up 4 wickets for 55 runs, while Axar Patel was most economical as he registered the figures of 1/29 in the high-scoring clash.

Chasing a daunting target, DC showed early promise as Jake Fraser-McGurk smashed a stunning 18-ball 65. They reached 88/2 in the powerplay, but things got off the track quickly.

Abishek Porel (42 off 22) played a useful knock, while captain Rishabh Pant (44 off 35) held one end, but the lack of support from the lower order and the top order's failure cost them the match.

Notably, the SRH bowling attack, led by T Natarajan (4/19), was wonderful in the match as they bowled out DC for 199 in 19.1 overs to hand them a big defeat.