Following an eight-wicket defeat to Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026, Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani threw his weight behind a struggling Kuldeep Yadav, insisting the franchise will ‘rally around’ the senior wrist-spinner to help him rediscover his peak form.
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, DC’s spinners failed to match the control offered by CSK spinners Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad, who combined for 3-41. While DC skipper Axar Patel managed 1-25 in four overs, including bowling two overs in power-play, Kuldeep endured another difficult night by leaking 34 runs in three overs without taking a wicket.
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‘We have faith in him’: Badani on Kuldeep
“We would ideally want Kuldeep to be better than this. But we will rally around him. He’s been somebody who’s been a part of this side for many, many years and has done well. I think he can turn this around,” said Badani in the post-match press conference.
Kuldeep struggling to find rhythm this season
Once regarded as Delhi’s banker in the middle overs, Kuldeep hasn’t gained his edge this season. In 30 overs of IPL 2026, Kuldeep has picked only seven wickets at an economy rate of 10.36 and has conceded 24 sixes – the most by any spinner in the competition.
On Tuesday, he and left-arm pacer T Natarajan together gave away 73 runs in 5.3 overs despite a surface offering grip and turn, as Sanju Samson duly cashed on them to hit an unbeaten 87.
Badani confident Kuldeep will bounce back
“I think it’s more the case of just about somebody’s striking form. He hasn’t struck peak form yet. He hasn’t bowled at the speeds that he would normally bowl. I think it’s a question of time.
“I mean, we have the faith in him. More than anything else, it’s crunch time for us. It’s quite simple for us. It’s more like a knockout tournament for us right now. We have to win 4 in 4 games and we still have a chance to qualify,” added Badani.
Axar shines with ball but struggles with bat
Though Axar was at his economical best with the ball on Tuesday, his batting returns have nosedived further. With the bat, Axar has managed just 33 runs – 26 of them came against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. His runs have come at a strike rate of 89.18 – a steep drop from last year when he was DC’s fourth-highest scorer with 263 runs at a strike rate of 157.
His dismissal for just two on Tuesday was DC’s third wicket to fall from overs 8-11 and led to DC being 69/5 in 11 overs. Once a reliable middle-order presence, Axar’s decline with the bat has left a big void in DC’s batting returns at a time when his side needs stability.
Badani backs Axar’s experience
“With Axar, I think it’s again a question of somebody who’s (trying to find form). There are people who have played cricket at the highest level – like he’s a double World Cup winner. You work with them and you give them the faith. They have the faith in themselves in the sense that they have played the game.
“They have figured out the ways and means of going through the grind, struggles and how you come back. They’ve done it all and I have the faith that he’ll come good. He’s had a wonderful time with the ball and those figures, I would take it on any given day,” added Badani.
Though DC found some spark in their innings via a 65-run stand between Tristan Stubbs (38) and Sameer Rizvi (40 not out), it wasn’t enough for them to stop a composed Samson from taking them home.
‘No home advantage’: Badani on Delhi surfaces
“There’s no local side that gets benefit out of the surfaces. You play what is presented to you. Yes, it’s been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what are we going to get at Delhi, which is our home. One game was a 265 chase, another one was 75 all out.
“Again, this was a surface which spun, but there’s little control that any side has on surfaces. It’s not about us and the whole comp itself is quite neutral that way. Every side has to find a way to win those games. Ideally, you want to have some consistency.
(With IANS Inputs)
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