Neutral pitches curated by the BCCI have stripped Delhi Capitals of any advantage at the Kotla, said head coach Hemang Badani after his team’s sixth defeat on Tuesday night — and few have felt the varying surfaces more acutely than Axar Patel.
The Delhi square has produced extremes this past month. But when the Capitals batted first across the last fortnight, the captain was conspicuous by his absence.
The streak of losses has stretched to four successive home matches, with the confusion around Axar’s role running through all of them. Tactical lapses and a batting order in constant flux have made a difficult season harder.
When Delhi vaulted to a record 264 for two against Punjab Kings last month, Axar hadn’t turned out to bat. When they nailed a record 226-run chase against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur last week, he aptly stayed out of the top five. When the top order was humbled by a Royal Challengers Bengaluru seam masterclass, Delhi turned to their crisis man for rearguard action. Axar tottered back with a two-ball duck as DC crashed to 75 all out, a nine-year low at home.
On Tuesday, his decision to bat first backfired against the Chennai Super Kings. Attempting to lift his team out from another top-order wobble from No. 5, the 31-year-old instead bobbed the ball up to the cover fielder, falling for two during a middle-overs collapse. Delhi had little to play with and were soon stubbed by Sanju Samson’s unbeaten half-century.
While Axar the left-arm spinner received Badani’s appreciation, the batter found backing with a subtle rider.
“I have faith that he [Axar] will come good. He’s had a wonderful time with the ball: four overs, 24 runs. I would take it on any given day. And it’s more the case of… If we had put on about 20-odd runs, Sanju would not have been able to pace the innings the way he did,” said Badani.
Story continues below this ad
Axar has been in a frantic search for those missing 20 runs all year, across conditions and in different stripes of blue. He has gathered only 33 runs at 5.50 in seven IPL outings, 54 at 5.40 when extended to all T20 contributions since January.
Axar has scored only 33 runs at 5.50 in seven IPL outings, 54 at 5.40 when extended to all T20 contributions since January. (CREIMAS FOR IPL)
Call it bad timing or a plan gone horribly wrong, but Axar had emerged as a middle-order stronghold last season. Runs had flowed from a steady run at No. 4 and 5, an identity he had built after India used him judiciously during the T20 World Cup win two years ago. The spontaneity of promotion and sound counters to spin in high-pressure games — like an unbeaten 47 at No. 5 in the final against South Africa in 2024 — had heightened his resourcefulness.
Despite limitations in taking on pace with muscular hits, the flexible role worked until it stopped working this season. Axar has not batted in the same position in two consecutive innings, shuttling between No. 5 and 8.
Batting ahead of proven hard-hitters in Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi and veteran David Miller — who has now lost his spot in the XI — Axar has struggled for take-off at a time when relentless striking has set new standards.
Story continues below this ad
A marked degeneration in his spin takedowns has made the floating role redundant. The left-hander dominated the middle-order slot in 2025, smashing spinners with 14 sixes and a strike rate of 179.28, the highest among all Delhi batters. In four innings this season, Axar has fallen twice to spin in 13 deliveries, scoring only 12 runs.
His pace game has been in freefall since 2022, scoring rates dropping from 159 to 112 over the last four calendar years. Axar has yet to hit a six in ten T20 outings spanning five months, aggregating only 38 runs at a 6.3 average against seam.
On fresher pitches during the home World Cup defence earlier this year, India had restricted themselves from deploying Axar in early-stage collapses, leaving him in his primary role as a spin-bowling all-rounder at No. 8 throughout.
The Capitals think tank would not be averse to a similar move on Friday night in Delhi when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders, who are banking on an in-form bowling attack to mark their fourth successive win.
Story continues below this ad
Battling an “up and down curve” at Kotla, the hosts could finally find balance with a neater batting arrangement — allowing the skipper to call the shots from the lower order.
Axar batting in IPL 2026:
(matches in reverse order)
vs CSK – Bat 1st: 2 (6) at No. 5
vs RR – DNB –
vs RCB – Bat 1st: 0 (2) at No. 6
vs PBKS – DNB –
vs SRH – Bat 2nd: 2(3) at No. 8
vs RCB – Bat 2nd: 26* (19) at No. 6
vs CSK – Bat 2nd: 1 (2) at No. 4
vs GT – Bat 2nd: 2 (3) at No. 6
vs MI – DNB
vs LSG – Bat 1st: 0 (1) at No. 5
