'Not a serious cricket team': DC face major backlash as ex-IND star questions team strategy amid IPL 2026 playoff race

Right now, it's tough being Axar Patel. When Delhi Capitals (DC) finally put up a score north of 260, the opposition breezed past it. Then, in a must-win match, they couldn’t even manage a competitive total against CSK. In Match 48, CSK just walked all over DC—winning by eight wickets with 15 balls to spare, and that too in front of the home crowd.

DC’s Selection Headaches

With the playoff race heating up—just 22 league matches to go—every defeat stings even more. A lot of eyebrows went up over DC’s team selections, leaving former India cricketer Dodda Ganesh genuinely baffled. He didn’t hold back, calling out the brains behind resting major players like Prithvi Shaw, Abishek Porel, and David Miller, and instead going with Pathum Nissanka at the top.

Ganesh pulled no punches. “Delhi’s got so many proven Indian batters. They could easily open with Shaw, Rana, or Porel alongside KL, and bring Miller into the middle order. Instead, they pick Nissanka to open and leave Miller out. How can you call this a serious team?” he wrote on X.

There’s so much Indian batting talent available in Delhi’s camp. They can so easily open with Shaw/Rana/Porel along with KL, & have Miller in the middle order. Instead, the geniuses play Nissanka at the top & drop Miller. Tell me, how can this be a serious cricket team? #IPL2026

— Dodda Ganesh |  (@doddaganesha) May 5, 2026

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DC Collapse at Home

The match itself was a mess for DC. They crashed to 69 for 5 before scraping together 155 for 7. That never really felt like enough—and CSK made it look easy, barely breaking a sweat. Delhi’s bowlers—Starc, Ngidi, Axar—gave everything but only managed two wickets between them in 12 overs, conceding 85 runs. Kuldeep Yadav took a beating too, going for 34 in three overs, while Natarajan was expensive, leaking 39 runs in just 2.3 overs.

Do DC Still Have a Shot?

DC technically still have a shot at making the playoffs, but it's slipping away fast. They’re sitting seventh on the table with four games left. If they win the lot, they’ll stay in the hunt, but even one more loss could end their campaign. They’ve never won the trophy and have only made the final once, back in 2020. No doubt, the pressure is mounting.

What’s Next?

Next up, DC face KKR on May 8. KKR’s sitting right behind them in eighth, with just three wins and a no-result from nine matches. Both teams need a surge if they want to keep their season alive. Meanwhile, CSK pushed up to sixth place and look like real playoff threats. By May 24, we’ll know who’s through—and on May 31, someone will take home the trophy. For Delhi, it’s running out of time.

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