IPL 2026: KL Rahul, Nitish Rana Thrown Under The Bus As Delhi Coach Reveals Reasons Behind Defeat

Given a target of 243, the Delhi Capitals failed to find their rhythm with the bat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Tuesday. Opening the batting, the duo of KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka needed an explosive start, but the latter was dismissed for 8 off 6 balls. Rahul, who has been in good form this season, was expected to match Abhishek Sharma's performance for the Sunrisers and push for a century if DC were to win the match. Instead, he could only manage 37 from 23 deliveries. Delhi Capitals' Director of Cricket, Venugopal Rao, didn't mince his words in the press conference after the match, highlighting how Rahul and other top-order batters' failure cost them the match.

Nitish Rana, making a comeback to the team at the No. 3 spot, also struggled to find his timing from the first ball. Although he eventually scored 57 off 30, the men from the national capital could only muster 59 runs in the first six overs. The DC Director of Cricket admitted that the underwhelming Powerplay start cost the team the match. Rao said that the top order should have aimed for 80-90 runs in the first six overs, and the failure to do so was a significant setback.

"When chasing a target of 240-plus, a strong start in the first six overs is essential. I think we fell about 15 to 20 runs short in that period. To track down a total like that, you ideally need to be close to 80 or 90 runs by the end of the Powerplay; with the batting depth we have, we could have reached the target from there. However, finishing the Powerplay with 59 was not enough; we missed a crucial opportunity," he said in the post-match press conference.

"KL Rahul Didn't Get Enough Strike"

After Nissanka's dismissal, Rahul struggled to get on strike, with Nitish facing most of the deliveries in the Powerplay. In fact, Rahul faced only 6 deliveries in the first six overs after Nissanka got out, while Nitish faced 17.

"It also didn't help that KL Rahul couldn't get enough of the strike after Pathum Nissanka got out. If you look at the first few overs, he hardly faced any deliveries. As a batter, you need to face a significant number of balls to make a real impact in the Powerplay. He hit a six and a boundary, but because Nitish Rana ended up facing most of the deliveries, Rahul couldn't find his rhythm. I felt that was where the momentum shifted toward SRH," said the former India batter.

Rao was also questioned about the decision to have part-time spinner Nitish Rana bowl four overs, while the team's specialist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, only bowled two.

"Ultimately, it comes down to what the captain feels on the field. It's easy to point fingers now and question why Nitish bowled four overs, but these are instant decisions. In this format, if a gamble works, it's hailed as a brilliant move. These things happen in T20 cricket," Rao clarified.

Left To Rue Fielding Blunders

Rao also rued the team's missed opportunities to dismiss Abhishek Sharma. The left-handed opener was given two lifelines en route to his 135 off 68 balls. It was Rahul who fumbled the run-out opportunity while Nissanka dropped a sitter, giving Abhishek multiple reprieves.

"When a player like Abhishek gives you an opening, you have to take it. He gave us chances and we missed them. He offered a run-out opportunity after he had passed 50, and we dropped him again when he was on 84 or 86. We simply paid the price for those lapses," he asserted.

Following the defeat, the Delhi Capitals are placed 5th in the points table, with three wins from six matches.

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