RCB vs DC: "Dropped catches hurt us" - Axar Patel disappointed with Team Delhi Capitals after 47-run defeat

In the night match of Sunday's double-header, Axar Patel-led Delhi Capitals (DC) went head-to-head with the Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 62nd game of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Winning the toss and bowling first in the match, DC were off to a poor start as the RCB batters played an attacking brand of cricket with Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Will Jacks, and Cameron Green firing.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru looked set to breach the 200-score but DC bowlers didn't let that happen as they made a stunning comeback in the match. Khaleel Ahmed (2), Rasikh Salam (2), Kuldeep Yadav (1), Mukesh Kumar (1), and Ishant Sharma (1) did a great job and were among the wickets.

Chasing the target, Delhi Capitals were off to the worst possible as they lost 4 wickets at the score of 30. Shai Hope and Axar Patel then built a decent partnership before the former was dismissed. Axar Patel (57) was the lone warrior in the innings and he didn't get much support from the other end, which resulted in DC getting bowled out for 140 and losing the match by 47 runs. 

Speaking after the match, Axar Patel blamed the dropped catches for the loss of his team. He also criticized his bowlers and batters for not doing a good job. Axar Patel said:

"Dropped catches hurt us. Could've restricted them to 150. When you lose four wickets in powerplay, you're always chasing the game. 160-170 would've been a par score. 

Axar Patel also revealed that the pitch was two-paced and said that they haven't thought about the qualification scenario after the loss against RCB. He said:

"Pitch was two-paced. Some were skidding, some were holding. When your main players are run out and you lose four in the powerplay, you're chasing the game. Anything can happen, but haven't thought that far ahead."

Axar Patel Was Captain In The Match Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru Due To This Reason 

The star all-rounder Axar Patel had to lead Delhi Capitals in the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru because original skipper Rishabh Pant was banned by the BCCI for one match. 

Pant was handed a suspension for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct as his team maintained a slow over-rate during the match against Rajasthan Royals in Delhi on May 7. It was the third time Pant's Delhi Capitals were penalized for the slow over-rate offense, hence, the team skipper was banned by the governing body.

Along with the suspension, Rishabh Pant was fined INR 30 lakh of his match fees while the rest DC players were fined either INR 12 lakh or 50% of their match fees, whichever is lower. 

The Delhi Capitals team management decided to file an appeal for the decision and the issue was referred to the board's ombudsman for review. Rishabh Pant attended the hearing along with Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting and DC CEO Sunil Gupta, but eventually, the decision of the match referee was upheld.

Notably, Delhi Capitals put forward the argument that the delay in the innings was due to the sixes hit by the Rajasthan Royals batters as well as the controversial dismissal of RR captain Sanju Samson. However, with no evidence to prove their argument right, DC's appeal was rejected and their skipper was suspended as they took 117.82 minutes to complete their 20 overs.

In place of Rishabh Pant, all-rounder Axar Patel was handed the leadership duty and the development was confirmed by the head coach Ricky Ponting during an interaction with the media.