Delhi Capitals are staring at an exit in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) after their defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday night.
It was DC’s seventh defeat in 11 games, and even if they go on to win their remaining three games with solid performances, there is no guarantee that they would sneak into the play-offs.
It was DC’s fifth loss in six matches at home this season. Although it’s their batters that should be blamed for some of the defeats, including the one yesterday, having just scored 142, Kuldeep Yadav being woefully out of form hasn’t helped either.
The Indian spinner has played all 11 matches for DC so far and taken just seven wickets at a horrible economy rate of 10.67. Against KKR, he gave away 41 runs in three overs.
Director of Cricket at DC and former India batsman Venugopal Rao has admitted that the spinner not doing well this season is one of the reasons behind the team’s dismal showing. “We are facing it, and we are receiving it. A person like him, with Axar and all, if these two continue in good form, [it helps]. [But] one is doing well, one is not; it hurts in a bowling group. So we are facing that failure. [But we] always want him to do well,” he said after the match.
Line a matter of concern!
Four-time IPL winner for Mumbai Indians, Kiwi Mitchell McClenaghan also provided his take on the way Kuldeep bowled against KKR. “I saw a lot of deliveries between fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth stump, just in that nice hand-freeing arc,” McClenaghan said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show.
“Whether he was a little bit shorter or a little bit full, there were not a lot of balls that were hitting either the top of the leg stump or three-quarters of the way up the leg stump, or [he was] outside the wide line, when you know guys are trying to go after you. You have to play the corners of the base,” he added.
Delhi now travel to Punjab Kings for a Monday evening game. A loss there will be for sure, the end of their campaign. With the pressure more or less gone now, DC should look to finish the last three matches on a high and salvage some pride.
