Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel on 27 April called for his team to swiftly move past their nine-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, warning that dwelling on the loss would only compound their campaign woes in IPL 2026. Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismantled DC's batting order with precise length bowling and swing, bundling them out for just 75, which RCB chased in 81 balls.

Axar on the collapse

"I still don't understand what happened. But everyone says that in cricket, every day you have to be on your toes, and you have to come back and do the same things again and again. But yes, when you go into the next match, you have to forget this and move on," Axar said after the match.

On the early swing that exposed DC's top order, Axar acknowledged the quality of opposition but suggested better application could have altered the outcome. "I wouldn't say surprised — they are world-class bowlers, and they swing the ball anywhere, they have done it on every ground. But yes, I feel if our openers or one of the top-order batters had negotiated those first couple of overs better, it could have made a difference, and the match might have been different. But credit to them for the way they bowled."

Three straight losses and the momentum question

DC now find themselves on a three-game losing streak. When asked about momentum shifts, Axar resisted the temptation to dwell on hypotheticals. "Yes, if I talk about today, you can think like that. But I feel ifs and buts will keep happening. You might think that if we had taken that catch or completed that run in the GT game, maybe the momentum would have stayed. But these things keep happening."

He emphasised the need for consistent execution over external factors. "What's important is that you come every day and keep doing the same things, stay on your toes, and keep doing what you've been doing. The IPL is a very tough tournament — you can't think even for a day that things will come easy. You have to come and execute every time. Yes, momentum matters, but you can't keep thinking 'what if that had happened.' It's better to focus on what's in front of you."

The dressing room mindset

With only six games remaining and playoff qualification hanging in the balance, Axar stressed the importance of positivity. "I think we need to move on. If you stay negative, you'll lose matches. If you stay positive, you can perform well. So we have to forget this and move ahead."

He added a note of caution against internal blame games. "I'll also tell the team the same — one bad game doesn't mean you start pointing fingers or blaming the batters. We need to stay positive, continue what we've been doing in the last 6-7 matches, and keep the right mindset." The message is clear: DC's path forward depends less on analysing the RCB loss and more on restoring confidence before the business end of the tournament.