New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) Delhi Capitals’ poor decision-making when under pressure and Kuldeep Yadav’s dip in form have emerged as the two biggest factors behind the franchise’s stuttering IPL 2026 campaign, according to former India fast bowler Irfan Pathan, who believes the side has the firepower to finish in the top four but have failed to live up to its considerable potential in the ten-team competition.

With the playoff race entering its critical phase, seventh-placed DC find themselves grappling with two stubborn problems – chopping and changing in team selection and a baffling inability to win at home. Delhi have used 20 players this season, joint-second most in IPL 2026 alongside Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.

The chopping and changing has been most visible in the middle order, where as many as seven different batters have been tried from four to seven — Tristan Stubbs (9 innings), Sameer Rizvi (7), David Miller (6), captain Axar Patel (6), Ashutosh Sharma (3), Karun Nair (1) and Abishek Porel (1) – leaving little room for role clarity or settled batting combinations.

“I think, last year as well as this year, Delhi was a team that was to be a shoo-in contender for being in the top four. If you look at the players, they are very experienced and well-established players in this team. If you talk about KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, and even Lungi Ngidi, who did well in the World Cup, we all know that his variation gives a lot of problems to the big players.

“If you look at Miller this season, he’s also there to solve DC’s issue with a lack of experience in finishing games last year. But I think that the match against the Gujarat Titans, in which they lost on the last ball, will haunt them big time because, yes, it is not easy to take responsibility for any player and say that I will win the match, and every player wants to do that. But many times you take the wrong decision under pressure,” Pathan, an expert on JioHotstar’s ‘Champions Waali Commentary’, told IANS in a virtual interaction on Thursday.

The selection inconsistency was on full display in the CSK game, where Karun Nair was drafted in as a replacement for Rizvi, only for the latter to return as the impact player once the former was dismissed. Compounding the selection headache is an alarming home record – DC have won just one of their five games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season, against the Mumbai Indians last month, and the rot stretches further back.

Since IPL 2025, DC have managed only two wins in ten home games, a record that raises serious questions about their reading of home conditions. Adding another layer to their woes is DC losing all three games while batting first, while their record in chasing stands at four wins from seven attempts.

Their bowling unit has been the poorest among all teams this season, claiming just 41 wickets so far at an economy rate of 10.2. All of this is something DC urgently needs to address as they prepare to face Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday evening in a bid to keep their playoff hopes alive.

“See, I think two things have been a big factor for Delhi Capitals – one, I think decision-making could have been better. If we talk about the last game, winning the toss, batting first, and thinking that the conditions would get better later, was an issue.

“Especially when the match against RCB, a few days ago, on the same ground, they were batting first and were 75 out. That day, there was a weather issue, and in this match against CSK, it also rained, and there was a possibility of the weather being inclement.

“So you want to chase there, and you had even won the toss too. So, a little decision-making, I think, there was a little problem in that. Then, the availability of Mitchell Starc, not being there at the start of the season, was a problem. But I think they could have used their resources better,” added Pathan, who picked 29 wickets in 46 games for DC from 2011-13 IPL seasons.

Add to it, Kuldeep’s form has emerged as a major concern for DC this season, with the left‑arm wrist spinner conceding at 10.4 runs per over, picking only seven wickets and going wicketless in five of his nine outings. His overall economy of 10.4 is the highest in any IPL season, surpassing his previous worst economy rate of 8.7 in 2019 and 2024.

The left-arm wrist spinner has conceded at less than 10 runs per over in only two matches (against LSG and RCB), while in seven games, he has gone above that mark. “Secondly, Kuldeep Yadav not being in form, this is a big problem for Delhi because you depend on him, right? Especially on a turning track, where there was a little help in the pitch, and if you concede runs and don’t even take a wicket, then it’s a matter of concern.

“Look, he’s a very good bowler, and there are no two ways about it. But going above 10 runs per over, for any team, you would expect much better performance from your main spinner. So these are 2-3 things, in which Delhi could have been much better. If it had been the case, then maybe their team would have played according to that potential, and they would have seen better results,” added Pathan.

On his experience with the ‘Champions Waali Commentary’ – a feed aimed at Hindi-speaking audiences that features more deliberate, in-depth analysis compared to conventional commentary – Pathan said the format was allowing for richer cricketing conversations.

“I’m absolutely loving it. Our camaraderie, especially with our other co-commentators, is that they have different opinions, and we also have different opinions. So the viewers get a different and fresh perspective, and in comparison to the normal, conventional commentary, there’s a slight difference in its pace.

“In that, there is a very fast commentary, which is our normal Hindi commentary. In the Champions walli commentary, it runs at its own pace, but with more detail and knowledge, for our viewers, this is the feed, and we are trying to move forward in that regard,” he added.

Champions Wali Commentary is a dedicated digital feed in Hindi on CTV featuring former TATA IPL champions who share never-heard-before tales and an insight into players’ minds as live action plays out.

–IANS

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