Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel attributed his team's catastrophic 75-run collapse against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on 28 April to "bad luck," but conceded that the psychological hangover from their failure to defend 264/2 against Punjab Kings in the previous match may have bred hesitation that proved fatal in the rout.

The collapse in context

DC were bundled out for just 75 after losing six wickets in their opening four overs, handing RCB a nine-wicket victory. International-calibre batters and promising youngsters alike surrendered without a counter-strategy to the swing and bounce generated by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood. The manner of the defeat — six wickets in 15–16 balls — left little room for tactical redemption.

The psychological toll

Axar's candid assessment revealed the weight of the preceding loss. "Because of what happened in the last game, I felt that even after doing so much as a team, you can win nine out of ten times. But after that it felt like we could not defend back-to-back — so I feel there was some hesitation because of that," he said. In the Punjab Kings match, KL Rahul had smashed a record-breaking 152 not out while Nitish Rana contributed 91, only for both to be dismissed by Josh Hazlewood's bounce on Monday. That dramatic reversal appeared to weigh on the team's mindset.

On the pitch conditions and bowling performance

Axar defended his bowlers, attributing the low first-innings total to conditions rather than execution. "If you look at the first over, there was swing. Later, once the second ball from Chameera got hit for a boundary, the swing stopped and it becomes a different game," he explained. He added that when a team scores 60–70 runs in the first innings, bowlers enter the second half demoralised. "The way we batted, I would call it bad luck. Because of that, we cannot blame the bowlers."

Backing the debutant Sahil Parekh

Axar defended the decision to hand IPL debut to teenaged opener Sahil Parekh, who replaced Pathum Nissanka and was dismissed second ball by a late inswinging yorker from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. "The reason was to have a left-right combination at the top because we had two right-handers opening," Axar said. He highlighted Parekh's performance in nets and practice matches as evidence of potential. "It was his first match and he got out early on the second ball, so I cannot judge. But the way he has been batting, we believe he has potential to do something special."

On individual preparation and pressure handling

When asked about batters' inability to handle high-pressure situations against quality bowling, Axar shifted responsibility to individual preparation. "Preparation is personal. As a player, you also have a responsibility that what should be your preparation if you are going to play IPL or international cricket," he said. He noted that DC runs camps across Surat, Hyderabad, and Dubai, offering uncapped players continuous cricket exposure. "I feel that uncapped players should focus on basics. If your basics are strong, then you do range hitting on your own."

The road ahead: stability over upheaval

With six matches remaining and Mitchell Starc available from 1 May, Axar ruled out wholesale team changes. "If you look at the last eight matches, it's the first time that we've played bad cricket or collapsed. I don't think you'll get results if you make a lot of changes. It's important to have a good mindset and be mentally prepared," he said. Instead, he emphasised continuity, mental stability, and process-driven preparation. "There won't be a lot of changes in the team, but yes, it's important to be mentally stable and move forward together."

A plea for fan support

Axar ended with a direct appeal to DC supporters. "If the fans are disheartened, even the players are just as disheartened. After so much hard work, it hurts to lose. I think this is the time they should support the players," he said. He urged fans not to withdraw backing after a loss, framing the remaining six games as a collective fight. "My basic theory is what you can do, what's in your control. As a team, you can be with the team and fight ahead in the remaining six games and we will face result together without worrying about it."