Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel has backed Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the Indian Premier League title this year. Speaking after the team’s final league-stage match of the season, Axar said SRH’s explosive top order makes them one of the most dangerous teams in the competition and warned that they will be difficult to stop if their batsmen fire in the playoffs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad confirmed their playoff qualification With a resounding 55-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore In their final league stage game. Playing against the table-toppers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, SRH produced one of their most complete performances of the season and finished third in the standings.

SRH will now face Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator on May 27 at the Mullanpur Stadium, New Chandigarh.

“I think SRH are a strong team. When their top three score runs, they look like a strong unit,” Axar Patel told the broadcaster after Delhi Capitals’ match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

A season of learning for Akshar Patel

Delhi Capitals finished IPL 2026 finished sixth with 14 points from 14 matches. The team suffered a major slump midway through the tournament and failed to recover in time to remain in the playoff race.

Although Delhi ended the season on a positive note by winning their last three matches, it was not enough to make the top four, extending their playoff drought to five consecutive years.

Reflecting on the campaign, Akshar admitted that Delhi failed to take advantage of key moments during the tournament.

Axar said, “You have to accept your mistakes and then you realize what else you can do. A match here or there is fine. We have played good cricket, but if we had grabbed the key moments in one or two games, things would have been different.”

Delhi particularly struggled in the middle stages of the tournament, losing consecutive games against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. His fielding lapses and inability to make stops at crucial moments repeatedly cost him valuable points.

A defining moment of their season came against Gujarat Titans, when DC failed to chase down a modest target David Miller refused to give strike to Kuldeep Yadav in the last over. Of the match.

Those moments gradually weakened Delhi’s confidence and the team eventually bowed out before their final league game.

“I have learned a lot about myself. It is a high-pressure tournament and you have to take care of everyone. You need to be in good mental condition because if you are not, you get frustrated and take wrong decisions. I try to stay calm. Even when I get frustrated, I try to calm myself down and then keep others calm as well,” Akshar concluded.

RCB, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals qualified for the playoffs this season. While RCB will face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, SRH will face Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. The winner of the Eliminator will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2, and the winner of that clash will advance to the final on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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