Hemang Badani has said Delhi Capitals failed to take advantage of the crucial moments in IPL 2026, speaking after the team ended their season with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Sunday, May 24.
Strong bookends, weak middle
DC won their first two matches and finished with three straight wins. In between, however, they lost seven of nine games, and ended sixth on the table with 14 points. Badani said many matches could have gone either way and the team did not seize those moments.
The defining setbacks
He cited a one-run defeat against Gujarat Titans, a failure to defend a huge total against Punjab Kings, and dropped catches in games against Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He noted that the team should have closed out the game in which they defended 264.
Wickets and Starc’s absence
The former India player also flagged a lack of consistent wicket-taking. Even after the 40-run win over KKR, DC had only 64 wickets in 14 games, the joint-lowest in the competition. Mitchell Starc missed the first half of the season, playing six matches and taking 11 wickets at an average of 20.36. Badani said his absence in the first nine games hurt, but insisted the team still had enough chances to qualify, calling it a game of very small margins and saying the side could have finished well above 14 points.
