Kamal Ghorui
Delhi Capitals conceded their highest total of IPL 2026, 242 runs, powered by a sensational unbeaten 135 from Abhishek Sharma, who batted through the entire 20 overs. Following the defeat, former Australian captain Aaron Finch has criticised Axar Patel for bowling just two overs while allowing part-time Nitish Rana to complete his full quota during Delhi Capitals’ (DC) clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).Sunrisers Hyderabad continued their strong run with a commanding 47-run win, driven by Abhishek’s 68-ball masterclass, which included 10 fours and 10 sixes. He was well supported by Travis Head (37) and Heinrich Klaasen (37* off 13), helping SRH post a daunting 242/2.In reply, Delhi Capitals showed early promise through a partnership between KL Rahul (37) and Nitish Rana (57), but lost momentum after their dismissals. Eshan Malinga starred with the ball, picking up 4/32, as DC were restricted to 195/9.Finch was openly critical of the decision, saying, “We’ve been sitting there scratching our heads, haven’t we? Your two Indian premier spin bowlers, Axar Patel, the skipper, and Kuldeep Yadav, bowled four overs between them. A part-time offspinner in Nitish Rana has wheeled out four overs. To me, that makes no sense,” he told ESPNcricinfo.He further questioned Axar’s reluctance to bowl to left-handers, even after dismissing Travis Head, suggesting it reflects an issue with mindset.“It’s the responsibility of your captain, your senior player, your retained player, your best bowler, an Indian bowler, he’s one of your core bowlers in the Indian cricket team. That’s no small bit. He’s a double World Cup winner. So the fact that he doesn’t trust himself to execute under pressure and to defend himself against any left handers, as soon as a left hander walks to the crease, not for me today, thanks. To me, that says more about his attitude towards it than anything else,” he added.Earlier, Ravichandran Ashwin also highlighted the overuse of part-time bowler Nitish Rana, while frontline spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel bowled just two overs each.“In DC’s bowling attack, they have Axar Patel, Kuldeep, Lungi, Mukesh, and Natarajan. But the first player to complete his 4-over quota was Nitish Rana, and that’s where they lost the match. It has to be the biggest blunder so far,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.
