Former India all-rounder R Ashwin shared his shock at Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Axar Patel’s decision-making during their IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday. However, Ashwin was left baffled as part-timer Nitish Rana became the first DC bowler to complete a full four-over quota, even as Abhishek Sharma dismantled the DC bowling attack. For Ashwin, Axar’s use of himself and Kuldeep Yadav was nothing short of a fiasco as well.

“It didn’t happen just once; it happened multiple times. Nitish Rana was essentially used as the primary option in the Delhi Capitals attack, despite specialists like Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, and T. Natarajan being available,” R Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel. “Who actually completed the first full four-over spell for that attack? It was Nitish Rana. I rest my case, Your Honour.”

R Ashwin also argued that even if specialist bowlers are expensive, they must depend on part-timers.

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli

“I’ve said this before! Even the best bowlers can have an off day. In the T20 format, anyone can concede 50 runs. Take T. Natarajan, for instance – he bowled well today but still went for 40 runs. It isn’t a slight against Rana to say he might concede 50, but my point is simple: if you have five specialist bowlers, use them. If they go for runs, so be it – at least you’ve exhausted your primary options,” he stated.

However, R Ashwin also feels Axar Patel should have trusted himself and Kuldeep more, claiming their ability to bounce back. He cited a previous match where Kuldeep Yadav recovered from an expensive over to claim crucial wickets as well.

“Today, only two wickets fell. Axar Patel claimed one, and the other was a run-out involving Nitish Rana. Essentially, Delhi’s bowling unit took only one wicket all day. Axar managed that breakthrough while conceding only 21 or 22 runs. Compare that to the handling of Kuldeep Yadav, who went for 30 runs in his first two overs. We saw a similar pattern previously where he was expensive early on but bounced back to take crucial wickets. Kuldeep is a match-winner. Even if he goes for 50 runs, you stick with him because he takes wickets. The same applies to Axar Patel. No matter how the game is going, you trust them – because, ultimately, that is their job,” R Ashwin concluded.