Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has criticised Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel for not completing his four-over quota during DC’s IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday. Batting first, SRH posted a mammoth total of 242/2 in their 20 overs, powered by a sensational unbeaten knock of 135 off 68 balls from Abhishek Sharma. In response, Delhi Capitals were restricted to 195/9, eventually losing the match by 47 runs. Axar has come under heavy scrutiny for his bowling decisions, particularly for not bowling his full quota of overs and instead allowing Nitish Rana to complete all four overs of his part-time spin.
Rana conceded 55 runs in his spell, proving to be one of DC’s biggest tactical errors on the night. Meanwhile, Axar and Kuldeep Yadav-both frontline spinners-bowled only two overs each, conceding a combined 53 runs.
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, Finch expressed his disbelief at DC’s bowling strategy.
“We’ve been sitting there scratching our heads, haven’t we? Your two premier Indian spin bowlers-Axar Patel, the captain, and Kuldeep Yadav-bowled just four overs between them. Meanwhile, a part-time off-spinner in Nitish Rana was given four overs. To me, that makes absolutely no sense,” Finch said.
Finch further questioned Axar’s lack of confidence in bowling himself under pressure, despite his credentials as a senior player and a two-time T20 World Cup winner.
“It is the responsibility of your captain, your senior player, your retained player-your best bowler. He is a core Indian bowler and a regular in the Indian cricket team. That’s no small achievement. He’s a double World Cup winner. So the fact that he doesn’t trust himself to execute under pressure or to bowl against left-handers says a lot about his attitude,” Finch added.
In the match, Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on Abhishek Sharma’s brilliant century to post 242 in their allotted 20 overs. Delhi Capitals fell well short in the chase, managing just 195 runs and suffering a comprehensive 47-run defeat.
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