Given a target of 243, the Delhi Capitals failed to chase down with the bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Tuesday. Opening the batting, the duo of KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka should have got off to an explosive start, but the latter was dismissed for 8 off 6 balls as well.
Rahul, on the other hand, was expected to play a quickfire knock for DC. Instead, he could only manage 37 from 23 balls as well. Delhi Capitals’ Director of Cricket, Venugopal Rao, opined in the press conference after the match, stating how Rahul and other top-order batters’ failure cost them the match as well.
“When chasing a target of 240-plus, a strong start in the first six overs is essential. I think we fell about 15 to 20 runs short in that period. To track down a total like that, you ideally need to be close to 80 or 90 runs by the end of the Powerplay; with the batting depth we have, we could have reached the target from there. However, finishing the Powerplay with 59 was not enough; we missed a crucial opportunity,” he said in the post-match press conference.
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“It also didn’t help that KL Rahul couldn’t get enough of the strike after Pathum Nissanka got out. If you look at the first few overs, he hardly faced any deliveries. As a batter, you need to face a significant number of balls to make a real impact in the Powerplay. He hit a six and a boundary, but because Nitish Rana ended up facing most of the deliveries, Rahul couldn’t find his rhythm. I felt that was where the momentum shifted toward SRH,” he said again.
However, Rao was also questioned about the decision to use part-time spinner Nitish Rana with the ball for four overs, while their specialist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, only bowled two.
“Ultimately, it comes down to what the captain feels on the field. It’s easy to point fingers now and question why Nitish bowled four overs, but these are instant decisions. In this format, if a gamble works, it’s hailed as a brilliant move. These things happen in T20 cricket,” Rao said.
Rao also rued the team’s missed opportunities to remove Abhishek Sharma, who was given two lifelines en route to his 135 off 68 balls as well.
“When a player like Abhishek gives you an opening, you have to take it. He gave us chances and we missed them. He offered a run-out opportunity after he had passed 50, and we dropped him again when he was on 84 or 86. We simply paid the price for those lapses,” Venugopal Rao concluded.
