IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals losing steam and momentum, loss to KKR is a worrying trend

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IPL 2025: For long, there has been a lament, Delhi Capitals have lacked a solid fan base, when compared with teams like Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

Why? Obviously, results produced by the Delhi franchise have been inconsistent, whether it was Delhi Daredevils, first, or Delhi Capitals, in its present avatar.

It may still be comfortable for the Delhi Capitals' new management and captain Axar Patel to think they ae comfortably placed, even after losing by 14 runs to Kolkata Knight Riders. First things, first, losing two matches at home in the IPL 2025 within three days is not good. On Sunday, the way RCB played as a team and King Virat Kohli lead from the front was decisive.

DC versus KKR in the Tuesday night match on a week day still saw crowds trooping in. The heat in the Capital has been merciless, so you still have to grant it to the fans they showed up. It can be easily argued, at a venue like the Kotla what percentage of fans show up- for the home team. Certainly, when RCB were carving out a win, the oohs and aahs were from Bengaluru fans, not Delhi.

In terms of a match-up, Axar Patel was not shrewd and seasoned Ajinkya Rahane was cool as a cucumber. Rahane is new at KKR as leader and trying to stitch the team together. He may not be on top of the charts when it comes to scoring runs but he has been consistent. Flashes of brilliance are not the best thing when compared with consistency.

Rahane has led and batted as well as he can. There is no showmanship and he has kept the flock together. Then again, what is the reason, Axar looks cramped in whatever he is doing today. He is, obviously, not turning out to be match-winner for Delhi.

To win the toss and not bat, it's strange. The wicket in the Capital has never been a batting paradise. At the same time, to think, dew will come into play is wishful thinking. There is hardly any humidity and to worry about dew seems weird. So, DC could have batted first.

Viewed critically, it seems DC have no faith in their own batting, as stepping out to score runs on a fresher wicket is easier. Axar spoke later about the character of the wicket and how they had given away runs in Powerplay. In the ultimate analysis, certainly, KKR showed that collective effort matters in the IPL. The moment the side from Kolkata put on 204 runs on the board, it was 'collars up.'

One must understand, as the matches progress in the IPL, the wickets will behave differently after all the wear and tear plus the dry heat in the Capital. KKR's batting was not about individual landmarks and if you look at the scorecard it is clear Rahmnaullah Gurbaz (26), Sunil Narine (27), Ajinkya Rahane (26) and 20-year-old Angriksh Raghuvanshi (44) focused on a collective batting effort. It helped against the prosaic DC bowling attack.

Axar spoke of giving away more runs in Powerplay, and that was stating the obvious. Today's IPL fans are bright and understand the nuances well. One cannot fault Mitchell Starc as he bowled his heart out to take three wickets for 43 runs. But the rest of the attack looked ordinary, even though Vipraj Nigam and Axar took two wickets each. For sure, Kuldeep Yadav looks off colour. The left-arm surprise wrist spinner, has been far from menacing. The zing is missing.

For KKR, the all-round effort from Narine was defining. He has been chipping in with the bat and ball. On a wicket which showed changing character like a chameleon, Sunil Narine grabbed three wickets but the real deal was how the KKR spinners had created uncertainty. Varun Chakravarthy was smart in his bowling and took wickets lower down.

The way KL Rahul has been hyped in this edition of the IPL, people need to take a reality check. If match winners are true and deliver, Rahul has flopped in two matches in a row. At the top, Faf du Plessis had laid the foundation and controlled the game with 62 runs off 45 balls. KL could have steadied the rocking boat after Karun Nair fell. These two cheap dismissals ruined DC's plans.

KKR skipper Rahane used six bowlers, Andre Russel included. Russel has been quiet with the bat, but sooner than later, he will explode. Axar chipped in with 43 runs but he needed to stay there longer as that would have helped. How DC recover is important. It is one thing to peak early and then struggle towards the critical phase of the tournament.

What will rankle the DC bosses, now under GMR, they have lost two matches in a row. In terms of Race to the Playoffs, DC may still pull through but never take anything for granted. Look at the way Mumbai Indians have bounced back this season.

They have found match winners galore and skipper Hardik Pandya is now settled as captain. In contrast, Axar, who has been with DC for a long time, looks worried. Can DC fin their mojo since they have lost the momentum?