New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel has urged his side to quickly put behind the disappointment of their heavy nine-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and focus on the matches ahead, stressing that negativity will only hurt their campaign in the demanding IPL 2026 season.

At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ran through the DC batting line-up with impeccable lengths, swing and bounce to bundle them out for 75, which defending champions RCB chased down with 81 balls to spare.

“I still don’t understand what happened. But everyone says that in cricket, every day you have to be on your toes, and you have to come back and do the same things again and again. But yes, when you go into the next match, you have to forget this and move on,” Axar said at the conclusion of the game.

On the early swing that undid his side’s top order, Axar said the top three batters could have negotiated the swing better. “I wouldn’t say surprised – they are world-class bowlers, and they swing the ball anywhere, they have done it on every ground.

“But yes, I feel if our openers or one of the top-order batters had negotiated those first couple of overs better, it could have made a difference, and the match might have been different. But credit to them for the way they bowled.”

Reflecting on momentum shifts for DC, who are now on a three-game losing streak, Axar said, “Yes, if I talk about today, you can think like that. But I feel ifs and buts will keep happening. You might think that if we had taken that catch or completed that run in the GT game, maybe the momentum would have stayed.

“But these things keep happening. What’s important is that you come every day and keep doing the same things, stay on your toes, and keep doing what you’ve been doing.

“The IPL is a very tough tournament – you can’t think even for a day that things will come easy. You have to come and execute every time. Yes, momentum matters, but you can’t keep thinking ‘what if that had happened.’ It’s better to focus on what’s in front of you,” he elaborated.

Axar emphasised the need for positivity in the dressing room, especially with DC having only six games to play and wins being critical in them if they are to enter the playoffs. “I think we need to move on. If you stay negative, you’ll lose matches. If you stay positive, you can perform well.

”So we have to forget this and move ahead. I’ll also tell the team the same – one bad game doesn’t mean you start pointing fingers or blaming the batters. We need to stay positive, continue what we’ve been doing in the last 6-7 matches, and keep the right mindset.”

–IANS

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