IPL 2026: Losing wickets in clusters a worrying trend for DC, says Rao

DC's Venugopal Rao attributed their loss to SRH to batting collapses. He lamented missed chances against Abhishek Sharma, who scored an unbeaten 135. Eshan Malinga's four-wicket haul sealed a 47-run win for SRH in the IPL 2026 clash.

Delhi Capitals' (DC) Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao pointed to repeated batting collapses as the decisive factor behind their 47-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), admitting that losing wickets in clusters has emerged as a worrying trend for the side in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

Speaking during the post-match press conference, Rao said that while playing against SRH at their home venue is always a challenging task, the Capitals had enough positives to take away from the contest. He highlighted useful contributions from Nitish Rana, who impressed with the bat, and KL Rahul, who managed to get a start. However, the DC official stressed that the team's inability to sustain momentum remains a critical concern. He noted that despite getting into promising positions, the batting unit has consistently faltered by losing multiple wickets in quick succession. "There are a lot of learnings. Playing against SRH at their home ground is never easy. Positives were that Nitish Rana batted well. KL Rahul got a start. There were contributions. But one major learning is that we are losing wickets in clusters. Every time we get into a position, we are losing three wickets together. In this format, people talk about not losing back-to-back wickets. But we are losing three wickets in a row, and that is becoming the turning point in games," he said.

'We paid the price'

On Abhishek Sharma's superb innings and two missed chances, Rao explained, "The kind of calibre he has shown over the last couple of years, we all know what he can do. When he gave us opportunities, we didn't take them. After his fifty, there was a run-out chance, but we missed it. Then, in his 80's, we dropped him. We paid the price."

Abhishek Sharma's sensational century

Sharma shattered multiple records as he slammed his second-highest score in the IPL. Sharma was in sensational form on Tuesday. He brought up his second IPL century off just 47 balls, smashing 9 fours and 10 massive sixes in a breathtaking display of power-hitting. The SRH opener finished unbeaten on 135 off 68 deliveries, as Hyderabad piled up a formidable 242/2 in their 20 overs.

The knock marked Sharma's second IPL century. With this effort, Abhishek moved to nine T20 centuries, drawing level with Virat Kohli among Indian batters. In the all-time list, Chris Gayle leads with 22 centuries, followed by Babar Azam (12) and David Warner (10), while Abhishek now joins a group featuring players such as Quinton de Kock, Rilee Rossouw and Sahibzada Farhan.

Malinga four-for seals SRH victory

Defending a massive total of 243, Eshan Malinga produced a superb four-wicket haul to power Sunrisers Hyderabad to a convincing 47-run victory over Delhi Capitals. (ANI)

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