IPL 2026 – KKR vs DC – Hemang Badani and Axar Patel explain what went wrong for Delhi Capitals

It has become a trend with Delhi Capitals (DC) now, irrespective of who is at the helm and who the personnel involved are. For the fifth year in a row, they finished the IPL outside the playoff positions and for the second consecutive season, the partnership of Hemang Badani and Axar Patel failed to secure them a top-four finish.

Reflecting on the IPL 2026 season that has just ended for them, where DC finished sixth despite starting with two wins, Badani said the campaign could have been different had they taken their chances when the opportunities presented themselves.

“There were many games where I genuinely felt that the game could go either way and we didn’t seize those moments,” Badani said in the press conference after DC finished their season with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). “One being the Gujarat [Titans] game, we lost the game there by one run. The [failure to defend] 264 [against Punjab Kings] is again something that you would try and seize or try to defend that score. With CSK [Chennai Super Kings], we dropped some catches, and with SRH [Sunrisers Hyderabad], we dropped some catches in the crucial time of the game.”

Beyond the points lost by DC along the way, Badani said the lack of wickets taken all season had an effect. Despite bowling out KKR on Sunday for a 40-run victory, DC ended with only 64 wickets across 14 games, the joint-lowest among all teams. Mitchell Starc playing only six games (11 wickets at 20.36) meant they had one big wicket-taker missing for most of the season. But Badani felt that even during Starc’s absence, there were moments that could have been grabbed.

“You ideally want to keep taking wickets and keep putting pressure on the opposition,” Badani said. “And I think a culmination of all of it is the reason why we are at 14 points. We could have been a lot better than that.

“Starc is obviously somebody who’s done exceedingly well in all formats and him not being available to us the first nine games does hamper our progress. But I think, on the whole, even without him, we had our moments. Even without him, we had our chances to qualify. Starc does make a huge difference. But I think, as a side, I genuinely feel that if we had played those small margins… it’s a game of small margins. Literally, very small margins.”

Axar Patel: ‘Important to be in a good frame of mind’ as captain

DC captain Axar’s thoughts about the season largely aligned with Badani’s assessment, but he said he was proud of the team for winning their last three matches even though qualification was no longer possible then.

“We were not playing well, but we kept fighting,” Axar said on the broadcast after the game. “The way we played the last three games… very good effort till the last match.”

He also spoke about his own captaincy, saying he had to work on ensuring he didn’t get frustrated at the missed moments because of the domino effect that could have. Axar himself averaged under 20 with the bat and took just 11 wickets in 13 innings.

“I have learnt about myself that in a high-pressure tournament, you need to take care of everyone, but it’s most important to be in a good frame of mind yourself,” Axar said. “Only then you can make right decisions, instead of taking poor ones out of frustration. You have to stay calm. I thought that if I’m getting frustrated, I look within and try to fix my frame of mind.”

The next IPL season will include a soft reset for DC, as co-ownership control for two seasons will shift from GMR Sports to JSW Sports again. In the end, 2026 became another season of “what ifs” and even though the faces in charge may change, the questions surrounding the franchise remain stubbornly familiar.

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