New Delhi: It seemed like mankind was on the path to salvation after KL Rahul slammed a low full toss off RCB's Yash Dayal into the stands for a six, making it four wins in as many IPL 2025 matches for DC. Rahul's ground-thumping celebration from the film 'Kantara' following his unbeaten 93 seemed fitting, considering the scrutiny over his performances at LSG. Not many experts had backed DC to leave an impact at the start of the season, especially considering the appointment of a new captain in Axar Patel. However, DC now well and truly looked like favorites in the playoffs race. Even a historic IPL title seemed well within reach.
However, the Delhi-based franchise's maiden loss soon followed as they committed harakiri against the Mumbai Indians (MI), losing the match following a hat-trick of run-outs. While DC bounced back to winning ways in the next match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), they never looked the same again, recording just one win in the next seven games. However, quality performances in the tournament's first half ensured that the Axar-led side still had a fighting chance going into their all-important second match against MI.
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LSG vs GTGo Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The DC bowlers started off on a strong note, controlling the flow of runs and chipping in with constant wickets. MI managed to score just 132 runs after 18 overs, losing five wickets. However, Mukesh Kumar and Dushmantha Chameera lost their nerve when it mattered the most, conceding 48 runs in the last two overs. DC never really managed to recover from the unexpected onslaught, getting bowled out for 121 after being handed a 181-run target. It was a familiar yet exceedingly frustrating tale for the DC fans who saw their team bowing out of contention for the playoffs after being second at the halfway point.
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around this — why would Mukesh bowl four express deliveries in the 19th over, when throughout the match it was the slower ones, the knuckleballs, the change of pace that had worked so well for DC? They completely lost the plot. The same happened in the 20th over — Chameera tried to bowl yorkers when there was no real need," reacted JioStar expert Saba Karim.
The glaring issues in the batting department certainly played a key role in the team's startling decline, with Rahul left waging a lone battle. The former LSG batter has been DC's top run-scorer with one game to go, smashing 504 runs. Abishek Porel and Tristan Stubbs stand a distant second and third, accumulating 301 and 282 runs respectively. Karun Nair also failed to score as consistently as required, registering 154 runs in seven matches. DC never exactly managed to find a consistent opening pair, switching across combinations four times. "Opening at the top was a worry for us," acknowledged the team's head coach Hemang Badani.
Who's that IPL player?The lack of experience in batting also came back to haunt them with Porel, Sameer Rizvi and Vipraj Nigam's inability to handle tense situations standing out especially against MI. Investing in more proven campaigners, especially as a replacement for Harry Brook, could have certainly added more solidity in the middle-order.
DC similarly struggled massively in the absence of Mitchell Starc who had been a vital performer, especially with his experience in death overs. Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar failed to make their presence felt, picking 13 and 11 wickets respectively. Even an experienced spinner like Axar Patel managed to pick only five wickets in 12 matches.
"We ended the season extremely poorly. There will need to be a lot of introspection on a lot of aspects," posted DC co-owner Parth Jindal on X, summing up DC's disappointing campaign.
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