Axar suffers blow to his left hand while fielding

Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Axar Patel sustained a painful hand injury during his team's home fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Tuesday night. Although he was able to bat, he was clearly in discomfort throughout his fighting knock of 43 off 23 balls while chasing a target of 205.

Speaking after DC’s loss, Axar explained the nature of his injury: "I dragged my palm across the [practice] wicket and the skin peeled off. Whenever the bat handle brushed against it, it hurt a lot. Fortunately, we have a three-four day break before we play SRH. Hopefully, it'll heal by then."

The injury occurred in the 18th over of KKR's innings when Axar, fielding at midwicket, made a full-stretch dive to stop a shot from Rovman Powell off legspinner Vipraj Nigam. He grimaced in pain and walked off the field, receiving treatment from DC's head physio Patrick Farhat.

Vice-captain Faf du Plessis took over leadership duties for the remaining 2.2 overs as KKR posted 204 for 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Axar had earlier starred with the ball, finishing with figures of 2 for 27 from his four overs, including the key wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer.

At the innings break, Axar received further treatment with his hand heavily bandaged. He was seen struggling during warm-up swings, wincing as he practiced his shots. Nevertheless, he batted at No. 5 as usual, frequently releasing his bottom hand mid-shot to manage the pain.

Axar has been one of DC’s standout performers this season, scoring 232 runs at an average of 29.00 and a strike rate of 161.11. His fourth-wicket partnership of 76 off 42 balls with du Plessis kept DC in the hunt despite his visible discomfort.

Notably, Axar entered the IPL still recovering from a cut on the same left hand sustained during the Champions Trophy. He had been cautious with his bowling early in the tournament but has now delivered his full quota in the last three matches.

With six wins from ten matches, DC currently sit fourth in the standings. Their next game is scheduled for May 5 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, as Axar continues his first season as full-time captain.

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