Axar Patel shocked as DC miss RCB's unwanted 49 all out record by a whisker: 'Even I don't know what happened'

Axar Patel was left stunned after Delhi Capitals suffered a dramatic collapse and came dangerously close to equalling one of the most unwanted records in IPL history during their clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League 2026.

Just two days after failing to defend a massive total against Punjab Kings, DC endured another nightmare as they were bowled out for just 75 runs. At one stage, they were reeling at 8 for 6 inside the powerplay, raising fears that they might break RCB’s unwanted record of 49 all out. However, the middle order managed to steady things slightly and helped the team avoid that embarrassment.

Speaking after the match, Axar admitted he had no clear explanation for the collapse. “Even I don’t know what happened. That’s why they say you have to be on your toes in cricket. We have to move on from this match,” he said during the post-match presentation.

The early damage was done by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who got the ball to swing nicely, and Josh Hazlewood, who used the short ball effectively to trouble the batters. DC’s top order had no answers, leading to one of the lowest totals of the season.

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However, the DC skipper refused the notion that there was exaggerated swing on offer, which one felt after Bhuveneshwar Kumar's banana inswing cleaned up a clueless former India U-19 Sahil Parakh.

"I wasn't surprised, they are world class bowlers, they swing it every ground, but if our openers or top order had played them out then the result might have been different."

Hazlewood, who dismissed KL Rahul and Nitish Rana with short balls said that he wasn't sure what kind of track would be on offer after close to 530 runs were scored in the previous game.

"Probably turning up here after 500-plus runs in the last game, was not sure what was going to happen," Hazlewood said, adding that he followed pace bowling colleague Bhuvneshwar Kumar's advice.

"Was just following his (Bhuvneshwar) lead. There was a bit there in the first six overs - enough there to work with, and it was skidding on quickly from a short of a length. Once the ball got soft, it got more even," Hazlewood said.

He also spoke about how he set up Rana, who looked in a tangle and out of depth while facing a short ball.

"In general, you wanted the batter to hit it down the wicket and in the V. The short ball was nice as well, just about the accuracy. When that ball was nice and hard, it was tough to bat. Would have been nice to bowl four and get off the field," said Hazlewood.

(With agency inputs)