‘While Other Sides Had Great Powerplays, We Didn't’
‘No One to Blame But Ourselves’
A campaign that began with promise ended in disappointment for Delhi Capitals, as their 59-run loss to Mumbai Indians on Wednesday officially knocked them out of IPL 2025 playoff contention. After a strong start—winning five of their first six matches—DC lost momentum at a crucial stage, dropping five of their last six completed games.
The team’s downfall was marked by unstable opening partnerships, inconsistent middle-order performances, and poor execution in pressure moments—both with bat and ball.
Head coach Hemang Badani pointed to one key area of concern- the team’s instability at the top of the batting order. Despite early success, DC never settled on a consistent opening pair, shuffling through seven different combinations over the course of the season.
The result? Their openers averaged just 19.23 runs per match—lowest among all franchises.
‘A settled opening pair is only possible when your opening pair gives you a start,’ Badani told ESPNcricinfo.
‘If you don't get starts, you are bound to make changes to try and fill that gap, fill that void. While other sides have had great powerplay with the bat, we haven't had those, unfortunately. Opening at the top was a worry for us.’
Among the few standout performances was Karun Nair’s 40-ball 89 against Mumbai in Delhi, where he took 18 runs off a Jasprit Bumrah over. But that momentum didn’t last. Over his next six matches, Nair managed just three single-digit scores—including two ducks—with a best of 31. He was even promoted to open in two games, but the move didn’t yield results.
KL Rahul, too, had an up-and-down season. Initially slotted at No. 4, he was moved to different positions, including No. 3 and the top.
According to DC bowling coach Munaf Patel, Rahul himself had requested to open against Gujarat Titans—a move that paid off with an unbeaten 112. But when asked to repeat that role against Mumbai, he fell short.
‘You ideally want people to read the game and play. Most players have been around long enough,’ Badani said.
‘Even someone like Karun Nair, even though he's made a comeback into the IPL after two-three years, he's a seasoned campaigner. You don't necessarily have to literally spoon-feed them.’
‘With some of the younger boys, you still have to try and make sure that they are given the right information, they are being told and given role clarity.’
Badani stressed that coaching veterans like KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis isn’t about technique but tactics.
‘Primarily, the guys who've been around long enough, you just try and help them with match-ups—who can you take down? What's an ideal number that we're looking at in the powerplay? What do you think is a good score in the powerplay on this surface? And how do we go about getting those numbers?’
‘That's primarily the conversation you would have with guys like Faf and KL and Karun and guys who've been around long enough. You don't necessarily teach them how to bat.’
Delhi’s final match against Mumbai also exposed flaws in their bowling, particularly at the death. The last two overs—bowled by Mukesh Kumar and Dushmantha Chameera—leaked 48 runs. That surge powered MI to a formidable 181, despite the pitch offering little for batters. Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 73 off 43 balls, complemented by Naman Dhir’s rapid 24 off 8, sealed the innings in style.
‘Until then, the 18 overs that were bowled by us were consistent, were spot on,” Badani admitted.’
‘Our execution wasn't to our expectation in the end. Those 48 runs in the last two overs were a big difference. (We should) be able to read the game better, be able to understand that the surface was slower.’
‘We could have gone to the cutters and wide yorkers. Even if you look to nail yorkers at this level, you would expect bowlers of international level to come and nail those balls.’
‘And if you don't do that, players like Surya who's been around long enough, will punish you.’
Delhi were also hampered by the absence of captain Axar Patel, who was sidelined with a severe flu and didn’t travel to the ground. Without him, DC lacked variety—particularly in the batting order, where Abishek Porel was their only left-hander in the top eight. The team also missed Axar’s left-arm spin, especially on a surface that offered assistance.
‘Someone like an Axar Patel would have made a massive difference to us,’ said Badani.
‘Left-arm spinners on this surface, somebody of his calibre, also with his left-hand batting, could have also countered (Mitchell) Santner. But as I said, the better side won, and I wish them well.’
Reflecting on the campaign, Badani felt Delhi's failure to close out crucial moments cost them a playoff berth.
‘For me, (the IPL is) a marathon,’ he said.
‘We had a great sprint to start with, where we had four (wins) at the top. We had five wins in six games and that is a great place to be. Since then, we've just struggled and not found that win.’
He cited multiple games where Delhi let strong positions slip—most notably against Mumbai in Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
‘To some extent, we've also had games where we genuinely felt that we could have won, and we just didn't finish those games.’
‘Like for instance, even (against) Mumbai at Delhi, we were cantering along and lost the game from there. Even against KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders), we had to get 60 in six (69 off 41 balls) with seven wickets in hand, two set batters (du Plessis and Axar),’ he recalled.
‘If you want to win this competition, if you want to go to the playoffs, you want to ideally finish those games. And if you don't, then you have no one else to blame but yourself.’
Delhi Capitals will now wrap up their campaign against Punjab Kings in Jaipur on May 24.