Delhi Capitals might have kept their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoff hopes alive after beating the Punjab Kings on Monday at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Still, captain Axar Patel has been punished by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The spin bowling all-rounder was found guilty of maintaining a slow over-rate during the Match No.55 of the 19th edition of the T20 tournament.
This was Delhi Capitals’ first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, and hence Axar was fined INR 12 lakh.
The IPL 2026 games have been marred by slow over rates, and several captains have coped with criticism, but the delays during matches continue to persist. Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya have all been fined for maintaining a slow over rate at some point during the IPL 2026 season.
Speaking of the match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, the former registered a thrilling three-wicket win after chasing down the target of 211. Axar was the standout batter for the Capitals, scoring his first substantial knock in the IPL 2026 season.
The left-handed batter hit his first half-century in IPL in 20 innings, returning with a score of 56 runs off 30 balls, including eight boundaries and two sixes. He received ample support from David Miller, who hit 51 runs off 28 balls.
In the end, Ashutosh Sharma and Madhav Tiwari played cameos of 24 and 18* respectively to seal the deal for the Capitals. The match-winning shot was hit by Auqib Nabi Dar as he hit a six off the bowling of Yash Thakur on the final delivery of the penultimate over of the game.
What did Axar say after the win?
After the win, Axar applauded the all-round team performance, saying the batting partnership between him and Miller was the key behind Delhi’s victory. “Then with the bat, the partnership between David Miller and me settled things down, and after that, the youngsters like Ashutosh Sharma and Madhav finished the game beautifully,” he said.
In the match against Punjab, Axar didn’t bowl a single over as the pacers bowled all the deliveries. When asked about the decision of not bowling himself, the DC captain said, “The wicket was behaving differently today. After the first few overs, especially when Auqib Nabi bowled, I felt the ball was swinging and seaming as well. We probably didn’t hit the right areas in the first 3-4 overs, but once we realised there was assistance for the fast bowlers, I felt there wasn’t much need for spin. Even when I gave extra overs to Madhav and Auqib, something was happening with the ball. So I thought if the pacers are getting help, then I should continue using them instead of bringing myself on.”
The Delhi Capitals still have a mathematical chance of making it to the playoffs, as they can reach a maximum of 14 points. The team will next take on the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, May 17.
