The journey of IPL 2025 for Delhi Capitals (DC) was like a thriller movie, with a bang in the beginning, but a heavy dose of disappointment in the end.
A crushing 59-run defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on May 22 knocked DC out of the playoff race.
Team co-owner Parth Jindal apologized to the fans and regretted the “disappointing end” to the season.
DC surprised everyone at the start of the season. Under KL Rahul’s stormy batting and Axar Patel’s captaincy, the team looked like a title contender. But everything fell apart in the match against MI.
The bowlers initially restricted MI to 132/5 in 18 overs, but Mukesh Kumar and Dushmantha Chameera conceded 48 runs in the last two overs. Chasing a target of 181 runs, DC collapsed at 121.
Regarding the lapse in strategy, Jindal wrote on X,
Heartfelt apologies to DC fans. The second half of the season was extremely disappointing. Such an end is sad after a great start.
He wrote: “Sorry to all @DelhiCapitals fans – like you i too am reeling from the second half of the season. What started so well ended extremely poorly. There are positives to take from this campaign but for now all focus on the next game which we need to win. Post the season there will”
However, now the focus is on winning the last match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Jaipur on 24 May. But Jindal promised that the team will seriously work on its shortcomings after the season.
In batting, KL Rahul did wonders with 504 runs, but players like Abhishek Porel (301 runs) and Tristan Stubbs (282 runs) could not show consistency. Changing the opening pair repeatedly also caused damage.
Coach Hemang Badani admitted that the opening was the biggest weakness. In bowling, Kuldeep Yadav (13 wickets) and Axar Patel (5 wickets) were lackluster. The absence of Mitchell Starc created problems in the death overs.
Specialist Saba Karim said, “Mukesh and Chameera deviated from the strategy in the last overs. Slow balls were working, yet bowling fast balls proved costly.”
Now DC’s last chance is against PBKS. Delhi fans hope that Akshar’s team will end the season with a win and make a strong comeback next year.
