Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel has backed SunRisers Hyderabad to win the Indian Premier League title this year. Speaking after the team’s final league-stage match of the season, Axar said SRH’s explosive top order makes them one of the most dangerous teams in the competition and warned that they would be difficult to stop if their batters fire in the playoffs.
SunRisers Hyderabad sealed their playoffs qualification with a commanding 55-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their final league-stage game. Playing against the table-toppers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, SRH produced one of their most complete performances of the season to finish third in the standings.
SRH will now face Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator on May 27 at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh.
“I think SRH is a strong team. When their top three score runs, they look like a formidable unit,” Axar Patel told the broadcaster after Delhi Capitals’ match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
A SEASON OF LEARNINGS FOR AXAR PATEL
Delhi Capitals finished IPL 2026 in sixth place with 14 points from 14 matches. The side suffered a major slump midway through the tournament and failed to recover in time to stay alive in the playoffs race.
Although Delhi won their final three matches of the season to finish on a positive note, it was not enough to break into the top four, extending their playoffs drought to five consecutive years.
Reflecting on the campaign, Axar admitted that Delhi failed to capitalise on key moments during the tournament.
“You have to accept your mistakes and then you can realise what else you can do. One match here or there is fine. We have played good cricket, but had we grabbed the key moments in one or two games, things would be different,” Axar said.
Delhi struggled particularly in the middle phase of the tournament, losing back-to-back games against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Their fielding lapses and inability to close out crunch moments repeatedly cost them valuable points.
One of the defining moments of their season came against Gujarat Titans, when DC failed to chase down a modest target after David Miller denied strike to Kuldeep Yadav in the final over of the match.
Those moments gradually dented Delhi’s confidence, and the team was eventually knocked out before their final league game.
“I have learnt a lot about myself. It is a high-pressure tournament and you have to take care of everyone. You need to be in a good frame of mind because if you are not, you get frustrated and take the wrong calls. I try to stay calm. Even when I get frustrated, I try to calm myself down and then keep others calm as well,” Axar concluded.
RCB, Gujarat Titans, SunRisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals qualified for the playoffs this season. While RCB will face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, SRH will take on Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. The winner of the Eliminator will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2, with the winner of that clash advancing to the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31.
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