Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel said that both the batters and the spinners made errors during the Kolkata Knight Riders match, which ultimately cost the hosts dearly at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday. DC batters were choked out by the KKR bowlers, especially the spinners but the Delhi tweakers couldn’t get the same purchase from the pitch when they came in to bowl. “I think the runs were definitely below par and at the same time the spinners made quite a few mistakes. Looking at the way the pitch behaved, I feel the spinners did make errors. But at the same time, if you notice, we lost five wickets in two-three overs, and I think that’s where the momentum slipped away from us. That’s probably something we need to think about because the same thing happened against CSK, we started well, and then suddenly wickets kept falling,” Axar said after the post-match chat. “You can’t solve it in a complicated way. While Ashutosh and I were batting, we were thinking that if we made a mistake there, it would become very difficult for the next batter coming in. So I think it’s more about applying the right mindset. Even if you lose one or two wickets, you can still spend time at the crease and play through it. I think that’s what needs to be applied, when wickets are falling in clusters, you need to absorb the pressure for an over or two,” he added after he was asked how these teething problems can be solved. In the match, Finn Allen smashed a 47-ball 100 not out as Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Delhi Capitals by eight wickets to register their fourth win on the trot in the IPL. Opting to bowl, KKR spinners led by Sunil Narine strangled Delhi Capitals in the middle overs on a tacky surface to restrict them to 142/8. Pathum Nissanka struck a quick 50 (29 balls; 5×4, 3×6) but Delhi lost momentum after his dismissal, scoring just 11 runs between the 12th and 16th overs as Anukul Roy (2/31), Kartik Tyagi (2/25) and Sunil Narine (1/17) applied the brakes. Ashutosh Sharma’s late 28-ball 39 (3×4, 3×6), gave Delhi some respite. In reply, Allen, who came in as Impact Sub for Varun Chakravarthy, smashed 10 sixes and five fours to make it a lopsided chase as KKR sealed the win in just 14.2 overs.
‘Runs below par; spinners made quite a few errors’: Axar Patel after DC’s loss to KKR
