Axar Patel spoke up, shoulders heavy, saying batsmen failed first then bowlers followed suit under Friday night lights. Chasing shadows of hope, Delhi managed meager runs before Knight Riders ripped through like wind through paper. Finn Allen stood tall, untouched, hitting every boundary he wanted while Green stayed calm beside him, unbothered by chaos around. Overs melted away fast – fourteen point two, no more – target gone before anyone could blink. Home crowd sat stunned, silence louder than cheers ever were. Eight losses begin to shape a pattern hard to ignore, points barely piling past eight across eleven games. Seventh place now holds KKR, breathing again after near collapse, nine points lighting fragile fire. Playoff dreams flicker for them too, nothing certain yet. Next year comes sooner than expected, talks already drifting toward rebuilding rather than finishing strong here. Defeat tastes longer when it drags along teammates who gave less than needed.
“For now, we’ll go back and think about the mistakes we made. After that, obviously there’s still a long journey ahead and next year will come too. So we’ll think about what plans we can make for next year and what approach we should take,” said Axar after the match.
“Based on that, we can also look at the players sitting on the bench and decide who can be given opportunities and what changes we can make,” he added, hinting at a possible major overhaul next season.
These days, scores past 200 happen often, so 142 just wasn’t enough. That much Axar agreed on, calling it far too low. He also noted how the spin bowlers misread moments when they tried holding that weak target.
Maybe the runs weren’t high enough – also, the spin bowlers slipped up more than once. The pitch played strangely, which makes me believe their choices didn’t always fit.
“At the same time, we lost five wickets in two-three overs, and I think that’s where the momentum slipped away from us. That’s probably something we need to think about because the same thing happened against CSK…we started well, and then suddenly wickets kept falling,” he added.
Finding answers to the problems was possible, he said – yet effort without attitude changes nothing. A shift in how players carry themselves matters just as much.
“See, you can’t solve it in a complicated way. So, I think it’s more about applying the right mindset. Even if you lose one or two wickets, you can still spend time at the crease and play through it. I think that’s what needs to be applied, when wickets are falling in clusters, you need to absorb the pressure for an over or two,” opined Axar.
Finn Allen finding form again made KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane smile – relief showed on his face after weeks of quiet innings from the opener. A steady knock today brought back some rhythm, something the team had missed lately. His timing looked sharper, feet moving with more purpose. The long wait seemed to lift with each boundary. Confidence often returns quietly, just like that. Moments like these shift energy around camp without words needing said.
Finn Allen’s performance tonight? A joy to see. Early on, those first few matches brought tough moments, plenty of effort with little reward. Then came this innings – sharp, confident, flowing. What a shift. Still, hold up – the bowling unit deserves another mention
“Fielding-wise, yes, we are working really hard. Our fielding coach has been really strict with us. And that’s what has been helping us. The result which you’ve been seeing about the catches and the ground fielding, credit goes to our fielding coach as well,” he added
