Following Delhi Capitals’ (DC) 10-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans (GT), DC skipper Axar Patel lauded the Titans for their stellar batting performance and acknowledged that the pitch conditions improved in the second half of the match.
DC, who once looked formidable with five consecutive wins at the start of IPL 2025, now face a tough road to the playoffs after their latest setback at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Axar said,
“The way they batted was excellent. The wicket also got better as the game went on. We felt we had a par score. Got a good finish, KL (Rahul) batted well. Our bowlers tried well but did not get the win. The way we batted was a positive given the last couple of games. Fielding and bowling in the powerplay needs to improve. The ball came on nicely in the second innings. It (ball) did not stick in the pitch like it did in the first innings. They didn’t lose wickets, which made it easy as well.”
DC’s home performance has been a weak link this season. They’ve won only one of their five matches at home—via Super Over—while winning five out of seven away games (one of which ended in a no-result).
In the match, GT won the toss and chose to field. DC lost Faf Du Plessis early but recovered well with a 90-run partnership between KL Rahul and Abishek Porel (30 off 19 balls, with one four and three sixes). Useful cameos followed from skipper Axar Patel (25 off 16 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (21* off 10 balls), helping DC post a strong total of 199/3.
For GT, bowlers Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, and Arshad Khan each claimed one wicket.
In response, GT’s opening duo of Shubman Gill (93* off 53 balls) and Sai Sudharsan (108* off 61 balls) chased down the target with ease, forming an unbeaten 205-run stand and finishing the match with an over to spare. Sudharsan was named the ‘Player of the Match’ for his brilliant knock.
With this win, GT have sealed their place in the playoffs with 18 points (9 wins, 3 losses). DC, on the other hand, sit in fifth place with 13 points from 12 matches (6 wins, 5 losses, 1 no result) and must win their remaining games to stay in contention.