Even as Delhi Capitals defeated Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2026, concerns are mounting over the form of star spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who was left out of the squad. Former India cricketer Irrfan Pathan highlighted Kuldeep’s struggles as a major issue for the team this season.
Kuldeep’s IPL 2026 campaign has been far from convincing so far. The left-arm wrist spinner took just seven wickets in nine games at a wicket rate of 10.4, the worst economy rate of his IPL career, surpassing his best of 8.7 set in 2019 and 2024. He has also not taken a wicket in five games this season.
The spinner conceded less than 10 runs per over in just two games against Lucknow Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore, while exceeding the mark in the remaining seven games. Talking about the issue, Pathan expressed concern over Delhi’s dependence on Kuldeep, especially on pitches that provide aid to the spinners.
“Kuldeep Yadav’s poor form is a big problem for Delhi as the team relies heavily on him. Especially on turning tracks, with some help on the pitch, if you still end up conceding runs and not being able to pick wickets, then it becomes a serious problem,” Pathan told IANS.
However, the former all-rounder backed Kuldeep’s qualities and stressed that expectations are naturally higher from frontline spinners. “There is no doubt that he is a very good bowler. But when your main spinner is scoring more than 10 runs per over, any team will expect better performance. These are areas where Delhi can do better and if things go as per their potential, maybe the team will see better results,” he added.
Delhi beats Punjab
Delhi Capitals completed one of the most thrilling chases of IPL 2026, defeating Punjab Kings by 3 wickets after chasing 211 in Dharamshala. Punjab were in firm control of the match for most of the match, reducing DC to 33/3 and later to 74/4 on a challenging surface.
However, Axar Patel turned the momentum around with a stunning performance of 56 off 30 balls, while David Miller once again showed his trademark finishing ability with a superb performance of 51 off 28 balls. Ashutosh Sharma hit a quick 24 off 10 balls before young all-rounder Madhav Tiwari played a crucial role with both bat and ball, taking 2/40 earlier, before scoring an unbeaten 18 off 8 balls in the chase.
Auqib Nabi, bowling just twice, sealed a dramatic victory with four and six runs in an unbeaten 10 overs to help DC complete a stunning comeback.
Earlier, Kings XI Punjab got off to a good start through Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, registering 51/0 in just three overs. Priyansh’s fearless knock of 56 off 33 balls, including six sixes, put the Delhi bowlers under immense pressure. Despite Punjab’s explosive batting performance, Delhi Capitals kept their nerve and snatched victory from a dominant Punjab team.
