Chennai, April 12 (IANS) Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel motivated the players in the dressing room after they suffered a 23-run loss against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Delhi Capitals kicked off their season with back-to-back victories over Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, impressing with both their strong batting lineup and disciplined bowling attack. However, their winning momentum was halted in their third match, where they fell agonisingly short, losing by just one run to the Gujarat Titans, and now they have suffered another defeat on Saturday against CSK.

“I want to say as a team, yes, we want to win. That time we were also together, we lost to them. So we lost together. As a team, I think this one or two games doesn’t define us. And it’s okay, we lost the game. But for me, the positive point was that we are playing good cricket,” Axar said in a dressing room video released by Delhi Capitals on X.

Axar also urged the players to maintain unity in the team and trust each other to do the job. “Things that doesn’t come our way, when that kicks, this team looks scary. But for that, we have to stay together. We are talking about stay together, trust in each other. Now is the time we have to stay together and come together and start again.”

Speaking of the match, CSK were put in to bat first by DC and delivered a commanding performance. Sanju Samson led from the front with an unbeaten 115 off 56 balls, smashing 15 fours and four sixes, while Ayush Mhatre chipped in with a fluent 59 off 36 balls, including three fours and four sixes. Their efforts powered CSK to a formidable 212 for 2 in 20 overs.

In response, Pathum Nissanka scored 41 off 24 balls with five fours and two sixes and shared a 62-run stand with KL Rahul. Tristan Stubbs played a fighting knock of 60 off 30 balls, but DC lacked support from the rest of the batting unit. Overton was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets for 18 runs, while Kamboj claimed three for 35, striking at regular intervals to keep DC in check.

With this win, CSK moved to ninth place with one victory and three defeats, while DC remained fourth with two wins and two losses. Delhi Capitals (DC) will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 18, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

–IANS

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