IPL 2026: DC didn't seize those moments in many games, admits head coach Badani
Kolkata, May 25
Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani admitted his side failed to seize some key moments throughout their IPL 2026 campaign, which ultimately cost them a playoffs berth for the fifth successive year. DC ended the season on a high through a consolation 40-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
"I think it's more the case about winning the moments. There were many games that I genuinely felt that there's a time in the game that the game could go either ways and we didn't seize those moments. I can speak of many games. One being the Gujarat game, we lost the game by one run.
"The 264 (against Punjab Kings) is again something that you would fancy yourself to defend that score. Even against CSK, we dropped some catches. With SRH, we dropped some catches at a crucial time of the game. Even with us batting, we didn't many a times hold on to our wickets. We've lost too many in clusters, if you go back and see the stats," said Badani at the conclusion of the game.
He also pointed to the lack of wickets across the season as a major factor, with DC finishing joint-lowest among all ten teams with 64 scalps in 14 matches. "And as a bowling side, you ideally want to pick a lot of wickets. If you see the stat with sides taking wickets, I think we're right at the bottom.
"Even in a game like this, you ideally want to keep picking wickets and keep putting pressure on the opposition. And I think a culmination of all of it is the reason why we are at 14 points. And we could have been a lot better than that," added Badani.
On Mitchell Starc's limited availability hurting DC, Badani stated, "He's obviously a fabulous player. He's somebody who has done exceedingly well in all formats. And him not being available to us in the first nine games did hamper our progress. But I think on the whole, even without him, we had our moments.
"Even without him, we had our chances to qualify. And yes, Starc does make a huge difference. But I think as a side, I genuinely feel that if we had played those small little margins, it's a game of small margins, literally very small margins. And if we had seized those little margins, we would have still been alive in the tournament."
Speaking on DC missing the playoffs for the second straight time under him, Badani stated, "I can't talk about the last five years because I wasn't involved with the franchise at that time. But I can talk about the last two years. As I said earlier, you have to play 20 overs of consistent cricket. I believe we haven't played those 20 overs of consistent cricket.
"If you look at last year, we missed out by one point. We were at 15 points. So if we had won one more game, we would have qualified. If you look at this year, we finished with seven wins. We got 14 points and the fourth team that qualified, they got 16 points.
"Again, it's a question of one game. Those one games are the small margins that I'm speaking of. You have to be alert. In this tournament, you have to give your all on every ball and I think we are not doing well there," he concluded.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally a coach who admits the truth instead of giving PR statements! 👏 Badani is right—you can't win IPL if you drop catches against CSK and SRH in crucial moments. Our fielding has been mediocre for years. Also, why did we rely so heavily on Starc? He played only 5 games! The Indian pacers need to step up. DC management should learn from MI and CSK who build teams that don't depend on one overseas star.
Badani is a class act but his tactics have been questionable too. 😕 We keep losing wickets in clusters—that's not just bad luck, it's poor batting strategy. Why does Pant keep throwing his wicket away? And our death bowling is pathetic. 14 points and still missing playoffs? That's classic DC—always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Need a complete overhaul of the scouting system; we keep buying big names who don't perform.
The problem is deeper than just 'small margins'. DC has a culture of complacency—look at how RCB and KKR rebuilt after failures. Badani is right about consistency but what about his own role? He's been head coach for 2 years and we've missed playoffs both times. Time for some tough decisions: either back him fully or bring someone new. Also, can we please sort out the captaincy? Pant's decisions have cost us multiple games.
I agree with Badani—it's about those pivotal moments that decide games. But honestly, DC has been saying this for 5 years now. At some point, it stops being about luck and starts being about lack of killer instinct. 😤 The good news? Our young Indian talent like Axar and Khaleel are showing promise. Build around them next year. And please, for the love of IPL, get a reliable finisher! Every match is a heart attack with this team.
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