We lost a few wickets in a soft manner: Axar Patel reflects on DC's defeat against KKR

He acknowledged the team's ability to restrict the opposition after power play but referred to the soft dismissals of several batters.

"I think how the wicket was and how we bowled in the powerplay, we gave away 15-20 runs too many. We also lost a few wickets in a soft manner. The positive was how we restricted them after the powerplay, coming to the batting, even though few batters failed, 2-3 of us contributed and took it so close, "Axar Patel said in the post-match presentation.

"When Vipraj was batting, there was hope. If Ashutosh were there, then they could have repeated the first game. My skin got peeled off as I dived on the practice wickets to stop the ball, but the good thing is there are 3-4 days break and hopefully I will be able to recover," he added.

A fightback from spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy towards the end helped defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come back to winning ways, beating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 14 runs at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Tuesday.

DC was in a commanding position at 136/3 in 14 overs while chasing 205. However, Narine (3/29) and Varun (2/39) delivered commendable comeback spells, restricting DC to 190/9 despite half-century from Faf Du Plessis (62 in 45 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and useful cameos from skipper Axar Patel (43 in 23 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Vipraj Nigam (38 in 19 balls, with five fours and two sixes).

Now, KKR is in seventh spot with four wins and five losses, giving them eight points. DC is in fourth place with six wins and four losses, with 12 points. At home, they have won just one out of four games so far.