Axar Patel starts ‘next year’ talk as DC playoff hopes dashed after KKR defeat

Axar Patel Admittedly, both the batting and bowling units let down Delhi Capitals after they lost by eight wickets to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 on Friday. The loss put an end to D.C.’s playoff hopes, and the captain hinted that the team is already thinking about next season.Delhi Capitals managed just 142/8 at home before KKR chased down the target in 14.2 overs. find alan Achieved an undefeated 100 points while Cameron Green KKR chased down the over with ease and were still not out after 33 seconds.DC currently sit eighth in the table, with eight points from 11 games. KKR are seventh in the table with nine points from 10 games after a four-match winning streak.After the game, Axar said: “Now we will go back and think about the mistakes we made. After that, there’s obviously a long way to go and next year will come as well. So we will think about what plans we can make for next year and what approach we should take. ““Based on that, we can also look at the players who are on the bench and decide who can get a chance and what changes we can make,” he added.Axar said the total of 142 was not enough and pointed out the mistakes made by the bowlers during the fielding.“I thought the runs were definitely below par and at the same time the spinners made a lot of mistakes. Looking at the way the pitch played, I felt the spinners did make mistakes.”“At the same time, we lost five wickets in two to three overs and I think that’s where we lost momentum. That’s probably something we need to think about because the same thing happened against CSK… We started well and then suddenly the wickets kept falling,” he added.The DC captain said the team needs to handle the pressure better when wickets are falling fast.“Look, you can’t solve it in a complicated way. So, I think it’s more about applying the right mentality. Even if you lose one or two wickets, you can still spend time at the crease and get through it. I think that’s what needs to be applied, when wickets fall in clusters, you need to absorb the pressure of more than one or two,” Aksa said.