"His Approach Looks A Bit Conservative": Ex-India Batter On Rs 16.50 Crore IPL Star
The player has scored only 44 runs at an average of 6.29 and a strike rate of 74.58.
- Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel is facing massive scrutiny over his batting in IPL 2026
- He has scored only 44 runs at an average of 6.29 and a strike rate of 74.58 in IPL 2026
- "His approach looks a bit conservative. He should bat in an attacking style," said Cheteshwar Pujara on Axar
Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel is facing massive scrutiny over his batting in the Indian Premier League 2026. The player has already provided valuable contributions with the bat in the IPL and international cricket, but his returns in the ongoing season have been really poor. While Axar has managed to pick up 10 wickets in 11 games this edition, he has scored only 44 runs at an average of 6.29 and a strike rate of 74.58. Following Axar's slow knock against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has termed his approach as "conservative".
DC were 85 for 4 in 10.1 overs under tough batting conditions when Axar came in to bat. The player went into a shell and ended up scoring only 11 off 22 balls. He failed to hit a single boundary in the knock, which had a strike rate of 50.
Last season, Axar scored 263 runs in 12 matches for Delhi Capitals at an average of 26.30 and a strike rate of 157.49.
"But if we talk only about Axar's batting, his approach looks a bit conservative. In my opinion, he is an attacking player. He should bat in an attacking style because even if he gets out, it is not a big issue. He is a player like Sunil Narine, where when he comes to bat, the bowlers are already under pressure. His job is not to settle in. He should just come and play his shots. He does not need to get set. Because when he plays his shots, the bowlers come under pressure. As a batsman, he should not be under pressure himself," Pujara told Star Sports.
KKR's spinners strangled Delhi Capitals with a ruthless choke before Finn Allen unleashed a brutal six-hitting exhibition to power the visitors to a comfortable eight-wicket win on Friday.
The spin trio of Anukul Roy (2/31), Sunil Narine (1/17) and Varun Chakravarthy (0/28) stifled Delhi's batting line-up, restricting them to a modest 142 for 8 despite a sparkling 29-ball 50 from Pathum Nissanka.
Impact substitute Allen then produced a fearless knock at the top. The Kiwi hit an astonishing 10 sixes and five fours in his unbeaten 47-ball 100 as KKR chased down the target in 14.2 overs.
(With PTI Inputs)
Delhi Capitals
Axar Patel
Cheteshwar Pujara