IPL 2026: 'We will plan for the next year,' Axar Patel after defeat against KKR

Axar Patel (Pic: PTI)

Chasing a modest target of 143 runs, Finn Allen scored his maiden IPL ton to help Kolkata Knight Riders beat the Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets. The Kiwi star scored an unbeaten 100 runs in just 47 balls to give KKR a much-needed win.

Finn Allen and Cameron Green stitched together a partnership of 116 runs in 64 balls for the third wicket. The Aussie all-rounder scored 37 runs while Allen did most of the hitting to take the visitors to 2 points.

Speaking after the loss, Axar Patel admitted that his team did not have enough runs on the board. The DC skipper further added that the middle phase of their batting innings resulted in this defeat.

"I think the runs were definitely below par and at the same time the spinners made quite a few mistakes. Looking at the way the pitch behaved, I feel the spinners did make errors. But at the same time, if you notice, we lost five wickets in two to three overs, and I think that's where the momentum slipped away from us. See, you can't solve it in a complicated way. While Ashutosh and I were batting, we were thinking that if we made a mistake there, it would become very difficult for the next batter coming in. For now we'll go back and think about the mistakes we made. After that, obviously there's still a long journey ahead and next year will come too. So we'll think about what plans we can make for next year and what approach we should take." Axar Patel said.

Delhi Capitals scored 142 runs in their first innings

Earlier, the Delhi Capitals scored 142 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Despite a good start, the DC innings faltered as they struggled in the middle overs. Opener Nissaka scored 50 runs in 29 balls, but the hosts lost wickets in clusters after his dismissal.

Despite a strong start, the DC innings lost its momentum as they lost wickets in quick succession, as the KKR spinner dominated the proceedings. Ashutosh Sharma scored a fighting 39 runs off 28 balls in the death overs to take DC to a fighting total.

Anukul Roy and Kartik Tyagi took 2 wickets while Sunil Narine and Cameron Green chipped in with one each.