Delhi Capitals' (DC) captain Axar Patel admitted that his side was short by at least 10-15 runs after they suffered a six-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the national capital. Speaking after the match on Sunday, Axar said, "I feel like we were 10-15 runs short. Our intent was there, but the wicket was hard to bat on it was two-paced and became better once the dew came on," as quoted from ESPNCricinfo. Despite showing aggression early on, Delhi kept losing wickets at crucial moments. Axar felt that a more significant contribution from one batter staying till the end could have made the difference.
"We tried to accelerate but kept losing wickets, so maybe if one batter batted along, it might have been better," he explained.
Explaining the decision to push KL Rahul up the order, Axar added, "I think KL is batting well, so he batted at No. 4 because he can finish games too."
The defeat leaves Delhi Capitals needing to regroup quickly as the race for the playoffs tightens, while RCB strengthened their position at the top of the points table with the win.
Coming to the match, chasing a target of 163, RCB endured a shaky start, losing three wickets for just 26 runs. Debutant Jacob Bethell managed 12 runs before falling, while Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed for a duck. Captain Rajat Patidar's run-out for 6 left the side in trouble at 26/3.
However, a crucial 119-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya steadied the innings. Kohli played a composed knock of 51 off 47 balls, hitting four boundaries, while Pandya was the star of the night, remaining unbeaten on 73 from 47 deliveries, with five fours and four sixes.
The pair ensured RCB reached 100 in 13.3 overs and kept the required run rate in
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