Internal conflict hits Delhi Capitals as Venugopal Rao targets his brother over poor fielding in IPL 2026

Delhi Capitals (DC) Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao has expressed disappointment with the overall fielding standards displayed by his franchise. Rao indirectly targeted his brother Gnaneswara Rao, who currently serves as the fielding coach for the Delhi-based franchise, following their recent defeat.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated the Axar Patel-led team by 23 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, April 11. The visitors conceded 212 runs after winning the toss in Chennai. In response, they were bowled out for 189 runs in 20 overs, suffering their second consecutive defeat in the IPL 2026.

Venugopal Rao Targets His Brother Over Poor Fielding in IPL 2026

Delhi Capitals lost due to sloppy fielding against Chennai Super Kings. Pathum Nissanka dropped a crucial catch at long-off when Sanju Samson was on 52 runs. Delhi Capitals players also missed a simple run-out chance against Ayush Mhatre immediately after the strategic timeout.

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During the post-match press conference, Venugopal Rao spoke about the fielding failures. His direct criticism put significant pressure on Gnaneswara Rao and his fielding coaching methods.

“I think fielding was one area that we need to improve a lot. If we fielded well, we could have saved 15–20 runs, and it would have helped us a lot. It happens in a long tournament," Venugopal Rao stated.

"You will have one or two bad games. Obviously, if you look back, first three games we fielded well, we took good catches. One odd game, fielding matters. If you remember after the strategic timeout, one over, we missed one run-out and one catch," he added.

Sanju Samson Punishes Delhi Capitals With Century

The costly dropped catch allowed Sanju Samson to dominate the Delhi Capitals bowling attack. Samson smashed an unbeaten 115 runs from just 56 deliveries, including 15 boundaries and four sixes. The right-handed batter reached his half-century in 26 balls.

Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed early for 15 runs. However, Ayush Mhatre provided strong support with 59 runs from 36 balls before retiring out. Shivam Dube added a quick unbeaten 20 off 10 balls, helping Chennai Super Kings post a massive total of 212/2.

Delhi Capitals began the chase well, with Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul building a 62-run opening partnership. However, they lost four key wickets within four overs against disciplined Chennai Super Kings bowlers.

Tristan Stubbs tried to fight back with 60 runs from 30 balls. Jamie Overton took four wickets for just 18 runs, while Anshul Kamboj claimed three for 35. Delhi Capitals were bowled out for 189 in 20 overs.

Losing Four Wickets in Four Overs Was the Turning Point - Venugopal Rao

Venugopal Rao admitted that conceding these extra runs completely changed the match dynamics. Rao stated that they conceded 15-20 extra runs due to sloppy fielding.

“I think after seeing this second innings batting, there was a bit of that feeling (that CSK posted an above-par total). Two overs, 24 in the middle overs, I think it cost us. Obviously, if you look back now, after seeing CSK's bowling, their four fast bowlers bowled well. They knew the conditions and executed it well."

“I felt losing four wickets in four overs was the turning point. In this format, losing back-to-back wickets always causes harm to the team. I think it is a game of momentum. If we had restricted them to 15-20 runs fewer, psychologically we have a better chance of chasing down a total below 200,” said Rao.

Also read: Arshdeep Singh totally demolished by Ravichandran Ashwin for horrible 12-ball overs