IPL 2026: ‘The fact that he doesn't trust himself’ - Aaron Finch blasts Axar Patel for not completing his bowling quota against SRH

Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch has raised questions over Axar Patel’s on-field decisions during Delhi Capitals’ defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, suggesting the captain shied away from a key match-up against Abhishek Sharma.

Delhi Capitals boast a formidable spin duo in Axar and Kuldeep Yadav, widely regarded among the best in the IPL. However, the pair delivered just four overs combined in the contest, a move that left experts puzzled. Instead, part-time spinner Nitish Rana completed his full quota, raising eyebrows over the team’s bowling strategy.

“We've been sitting there scratching our heads, haven't we? Your two Indian premier spin bowlers, Axar Patel, the skipper [2-0-23-1], Kuldeep Yadav [2-0-30-0], they bowled four overs between them. A part-time offspinner in Nitish Rana has wheeled out four overs. To me that makes no sense,” Finch was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Delhi appeared to opt for bowlers who could take pace off and move the ball away from the left-handed duo of Abhishek and Travis Head. With both Axar and Kuldeep generally turning the ball into left-handers, the DC think tank seemingly avoided that match-up.

However, Finch felt that such decisions should not come at the cost of backing premier bowlers. Despite acknowledging the tactical dilemma, Finch did not hold back in his assessment of Axar’s approach. 

“It's the responsibility of your captain, your senior player, your retained player, your best bowler, Indian bowler, he's one of your core bowlers in the Indian cricket team. That's no small bit. He's a double World Cup winner. So the fact that he doesn't trust himself to execute under pressure and to defend himself against any left-handers - as soon as a left-hander walks to the crease, not for me today, thanks. To me that says more about his attitude towards it than anything else,” he continued.

It was a total carnage by the Indian opener Abhishek Sharma against DC at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hyderabad. The left-hander scored 135* in just 68 balls to help SRH post a mammoth total of 242/2 in 20 overs. The DC chase never took off as they lost the contest by 47 runs.