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Out of sorts again, the Delhi Capitals folded under pressure against Chennai Super Kings in Tuesday’s IPL clash. A shaky start by the batsmen set the tone early. Not much help came from the middle order either. Hemang Badani stood before reporters, fielding queries about choices he made during the game. The pitch had bite for slow bowlers, yet the spin department didn’t take advantage. Kuldeep Yadav, despite past brilliance, hasn’t found rhythm lately – something Badani acknowledged without hesitation

Three overs. That was Kuldeep’s outing versus CSK – 34 runs leaked, no wickets taken. Pressed on his ongoing dip in form, Badani said expectations within the setup are higher – but backing hasn’t faded.

“We would ideally want Kuldeep to be better than this, but we will rally around him as he has been a part of this side for many, many years. I think it is more the case of just about somebody striking form; he hasn’t struck peak form yet and hasn’t bowled at the speeds that he would normally bowl. I think it is a question of time, and we have faith in him.”

“No Control Over Pitch”

Out came the question about batting first on a tough Arun Jaitley Stadium surface. Badani pointed out that even though it is their home venue, the team doesn’t shape how the pitch plays – that’s down to the curator. What happens underfoot isn’t really up to them.

“We don’t have any control over the surfaces. It is a lot easier for a side to field 20 overs and then understand what the surface would be when they bat second, and that is pretty much what happened. I thought the game was lost in the first 10 overs when we didn’t get enough; we were about 70 for 5, and you don’t want to be 70 for 5 even if it is a tough surface. It has been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get at Delhi, which is our home. One game was a 265, but there is little control that any side has on surfaces.”

Badani Addresses Axar’s Challenges
Even though Kuldeep hasn’t bowled well lately, Axar Patel’s performance as Delhi Capitals’ leader feels just as shaky – especially when holding a bat. Following yet another quiet innings by Axar during the match versus Chennai Super Kings, Badani stood by him once more. His backing didn’t waver.

“As a side, you obviously don’t want to be 60 for 5 or 50 for 5; that is not the position any side wants to be, and if we are in that spot, the only option is to bring in a batter. With Axar, I think it is again a question of someone who has played cricket at the highest level, a double World Cup winner, and you give them the faith. I don’t think I would pinpoint Axar, as it is not one person; it is a team, and as a side, we will have to play better cricket.”

Finishing up, the DC team’s leader laid out what needs to happen next. With just four games left, each victory becomes critical. Staying in the race depends entirely on winning every single one. Anything less pulls them out of reach. The path forward? Take care of business without fail