The Delhi Capitals (DC) are gearing up to face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match No. 31 of the ongoing TATA Indian Premier League 2026 (TATA IPL 2026) on Tuesday (April 21) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Before this clash, a big update came on the DC captain Axar Patel’s fitness.
Actually, Axar Patel had given an injury scare to Delhi Capitals (DC) during their previous IPL 2026 game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Bengaluru, where he had to retire hurt due to severe leg cramps in the 17th over of DC’s innings.
DC captain Axar Patel cleared to play IPL 2026 clash vs SRH
The all-rounder Axar Patel was batting on 26 runs from 19 balls when he failed to bear the pain, and the team physician rushed to the ground to treat him. However, the DC skipper couldn’t continue and even struggled to leave the ground, raising serious concerns over his availability for the SRH game.
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But now the Delhi Capitals head coach, Hemang Badani, has confirmed that Axar has been declared fully fit for their crucial match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Badani said at the press conference, as quoted by ANI on Tuesday, “All good. He (Axar Patel) is fit to play.”
Now, DC will be hoping Axar Patel performs well with both bat and ball, as he is yet to fire this season. The captain has so far taken only 5 wickets and scored just 29 runs in five matches in the ongoing IPL 2026.
Hemang Badani defends David Miller over DC’s 1-run heartbreak vs GT
Meanwhile, the DC head coach also addressed the criticism David Miller faced after the team’s one-run loss to Gujarat Titans (GT) earlier this season. The defeat created a lot of noise, questioning the South African star’s decision-making as he refused to leave the strike and Delhi lost the game by just single run.
However, Badani has made it clear that Miller still has full backing from the team. However, the coach admitted that the loss was disappointing, but it is part of the game, and Miller’s intent was not wrong, especially in close T20 finishes where decisions are taken in seconds.
The coach stressed, “See, I think first and foremost we need to understand that he is somebody who has been around for a very, very long time. Yes, it is heartbreaking to lose a game like the one we lost against Gujarat. And there was enough chatter about it through social media, on the news, on the telly, and even from the broadcaster.”
Miller has taken the right call: DC coach
Badani also pointed out that some decisions work and some don’t in the game, and fans often judge only by the result, but they never doubted Miller’s approach or commitment.
He further noted, “But the bottom line is that the player takes a call at some time. And sometimes you get the right call; sometimes you don’t get the right call. And I still believe that he has taken the right call. Contrary to what everyone else thinks, that is an opinion that I respect. And I understand that everyone has an opinion.”
