Delhi Capitals (DC) had to make a few forced changes to their lineup after the defeat to Punjab Kings (PBKS). With Lungi Ngidi injured and Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi being taken to the cleaners, DC gave Dushmantha Chameera and Kyle Jamieson in the side for the first time in the season. It led to them dropping Pathum Nissanka and handing debut cap to 18-year-old Sahil Parakh. The 18-year-old, who scored a 75-ball 109 against Australia in Youth ODI series in 2024, was given a chance but he was cleaned up by a brilliant inswinger from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. It gave RCB a sniff and in the fourth over, DC found themselves struggling at 8/6. But, skipper Axar Patel refuses to judge Parakh on one outing.
"It was his first match. I cannot judge him on that. The way he has been batting, we believe he has potential," he said.
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Parakh over Porel, Shaw
Parakh was chosen to open alongside KL Rahul ahead of Abishek Porel and Prithvi Shaw. While Porel was listed as one of the potential substitutes and had to play as DC suffered a collapse, Shaw’s name was missing. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025, Shaw had scored 183 runs from seven innings at an average of 26.14 and strike rate of 160.52. He scored two fifties as well.
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Axar admits misreading conditions
Axar also accepted that the DC batters misread the conditions, especially after the Punjab Kings (PBKS) where they posted 264/2 on the board.
"Two days ago the wicket looked similar… but today, with the wind and day-night conditions, there was more swing. Early wickets put pressure. As professionals, we should be ready for that," he admitted.
No knee-jerk reactions after RCB loss
While three changes were made for RCB clash, Axar is not looking to make wholesale changes in the batting lineup for the next match which is against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
"This might be the first time in several matches that we have played bad cricket. Changing the team will not guarantee results. It is more about mindset, staying mentally strong and sticking together," he said.
Axar’s message to DC fans
DC will go up against RR on May 1 away from home. Axar asks for support of fans in tough times.
"It should not be that you support only when we win… whether we win or lose, support should remain the same," he signed off.
DC have lost five out of eight games and find themselves placed seventh on the points table. They need to win at least five of the next six games and improve their net run rate (NRR) as well.