"I Rest My Case, Your Honour": R Ashwin Rips Into 'Captain' Axar Patel Over Nitish Rana Fiasco
Ravichandran Ashwin was baffled by Axar Patel's captaincy against the Sunrisers Hyderabad as the Delhi Capitals suffered their 3rd defeat in 6 matches.
- Ravichandran Ashwin criticised Axar Patel's bowling choices in IPL 2026 match against SRH
- Nitish Rana was the first Delhi bowler to complete a full four-over spell, conceding 53 runs
- None of the Delhi Capitals bowlers maintained an economy rate under 10.00 in the match
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his shock at Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Axar Patel's decision-making during their IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday. Ashwin was left scratching his head as part-timer Nitish Rana became the first Delhi bowler to complete a full four-over quota, even as Abhishek Sharma systematically dismantled the DC bowling attack. For Ashwin, Axar's sparing use of himself and Kuldeep Yadav was nothing short of a fiasco.
None of the DC bowlers managed an economy rate under 10.00. Rana, surprisingly utilised as a primary option, was hit for 53 runs in his four overs, resulting in an economy of 13.25. T. Natarajan, usually the top pick for the side, also found it tough on the day, conceding 40 runs in his spell.
"It didn't happen just once; it happened multiple times. Nitish Rana was essentially used as the primary option in the Delhi Capitals attack, despite specialists like Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, and T. Natarajan being available," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel. "Who actually completed the first full four-over spell for that attack? It was Nitish Rana. I rest my case, Your Honour."
Ashwin argued that even if specialist bowlers are expensive, they must be prioritised over part-timers.
"I've said this before! Even the best bowlers can have an off day. In the T20 format, anyone can concede 50 runs. Take T. Natarajan, for instance - he bowled well today but still went for 40 runs. It isn't a slight against Rana to say he might concede 50, but my point is simple: if you have five specialist bowlers, use them. If they go for runs, so be it - at least you've exhausted your primary options."
Ravi Ashwin slams Axar Patel for poor captaincy and zero game awareness.
— AK 45 (@ImRo45_Club) April 21, 2026
Ashwin said :
"In DC's bowling attack, they have Axar Patel, Kuldeep, Lungi, Mukesh, and Natarajan. But the first player to complete his 4-over quota was Nitish Rana — and that's where they lost the… pic.twitter.com/U2NGNAloxr
Ashwin feels Axar should have trusted himself and Kuldeep more, pointing to their ability to bounce back. He cited a previous match where Kuldeep recovered from an expensive start to claim crucial wickets.
"Today, only two wickets fell. Axar Patel claimed one, and the other was a run-out involving Nitish Rana. Essentially, Delhi's bowling unit took only one wicket all day. Axar managed that breakthrough while conceding only 21 or 22 runs.
"Compare that to the handling of Kuldeep Yadav, who went for 30 runs in his first two overs. We saw a similar pattern previously where he was expensive early on but bounced back to take crucial wickets. Kuldeep is a match-winner. Even if he goes for 50 runs, you stick with him because he takes wickets. The same applies to Axar Patel. No matter how the game is going, you trust them - because, ultimately, that is their job," he concluded.
Delhi Capitals
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Axar Patel
Ravichandran Ashwin