Axar praises wristspin duo Kuldeep and Vipraj for match-winning performances

Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Axar Patel lauded the performance of his wristspinners Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam following a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025.

On a challenging M Chinnaswamy Stadium surface, Kuldeep picked up 2 for 17 from four overs with his left-arm wristspin, while Nigam took 2 for 18 with his legspin as DC restricted RCB to 163 for 7. Notably, Nigam bowled a brilliant over in the powerplay, conceding only two runs after RCB had raced to 62 for 1 in the first four overs.

"Kuldeep has been doing this for many years, but consistency is key, especially in the pressure-packed IPL," Axar said during the post-match presentation. "As for Vipraj, he was under pressure in the first two games, but after his performance in the last match [2 for 27 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK)] and again tonight, his confidence is growing. I asked him to bowl the 18th over, and he confidently accepted. It's great to see him improve every day, and as a captain, that's the kind of confidence you love from your players."

Axar also highlighted the strategic use of spin during the powerplay. Despite conceding 16 runs in his second over, Axar shared his thought process. "We discuss match-ups and take the pitch conditions into account. Their openers prefer fast bowlers, so I thought it would be better to avoid too many pace overs. The ball was sticking to the pitch, and spinners were harder to score off. As the game went on, wristspinners got more turn, but I might have overdone it with my tactics during the 19th over [17 runs conceded] (laughs)! But in the end, we won, so it's all good."

Axar also praised KL Rahul for his mature knock under pressure. DC were in a tough spot at 67 for 4 after 11 overs, with the asking rate nearing 11. However, Rahul's unbeaten 93 off 53 balls guided them to victory with 2.1 overs to spare.

"It makes my job easier when I have a player like Rahul in the team," Axar said. "I know how tough it is to be a floater in pressure situations. One day you open, facing the new ball, and the next day you're coming in during the middle overs. But having a player like Rahul, who played such a mature innings after I got out with a poor shot, is invaluable. He took us home with [Tristan] Stubbs. I think he's carrying the form from the Champions Trophy."

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