New Delhi, April 25: Delhi Capitals’ cricket director, Venugopal Rao, acknowledged that dropped catches and poor bowling led to their six-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings in the 35th match of IPL 2026. Rao praised KL Rahul for his unbeaten 152 runs and expressed hopes for improved performances from the bowlers in upcoming matches.
At Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Capitals batted first, scoring 264 runs for the loss of two wickets. However, Punjab Kings’ opening pair, Prabhsimran and Priyansh Arya, amassed 116 runs during the powerplay. Captain Shreyas Iyer also contributed significantly, scoring an impressive 71 runs off 36 balls, guiding Punjab Kings to a historic victory with seven balls to spare.
In addition to dropping Prabhsimran early, Iyer was given two lifelines by Karun Nair within five balls, a mistake that proved costly for Delhi Capitals. In the post-match press conference, Rao stated, “Yes, I can say we dropped not just two, but almost six catches today. When you drop catches at crucial moments, I don’t think we can win matches like this. We should have capitalized on the opportunities against players like Prabhsimran, Priyansh Arya, and Shreyas.”
Rao credited KL Rahul for leading the team to such a high score. “Even after scoring 264 runs and setting a target, we couldn’t defend it. First and foremost, credit goes to Shreyas for getting us to this total. No one knows how the pitch was behaving, but he kept hitting the ball well. I salute the way he played until the last over.”
“Rahul has maintained his excellent form. More importantly, in this format, you cannot relax. He took responsibility as a senior player, and you’ve seen what he brings this season. I’m happy for him. We didn’t win, but we will bounce back strongly in the next match.”
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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