Delhi Capitals' inexplicable collapse leaves IPL experts numbed: 'No demons in pitch'

Delhi Capitals created a plethora of unwanted records as they were shot out for a paltry 75 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday in the Indian Premier League 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

DC looked set to even break the record of the lowest IPL total ever of 49 when, at one point, they were struggling at 8-6 in first four overs. DC's batting line-up was left clueless on a tricky pitch at their home venue where RCB new ball pair of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar ran riot. Ultimately, DC were handed an embarrassing eight-wicket loss.

'DC not up to the mark'

Experts were not happy with the way DC batted on a tricky surface. Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who has led the franchise in the past, said that there were no demons on the pitch and the Capitals should have done better.

"There were no demons in the pitch. There were some loose shots to start with. There was some good bowling and Delhi just was not up to the mark," Khan said on Cricbuzz after the match.

More from Firstcricket

His partner on the show the South Africa legend Shaun Pollock also agreed and said that DC cannot just write this off as a one-match thing. He said that the team will have to show the ability to adapt to different conditions.

"You will get a surface like this which misbehaves... You can just write this one off. There are going to be 12 other occasions where we just play. The problem with all these things is that the tournament always gets down to the knockouts. You have to be adaptable. If you go into a knockout encounter and the pitch is a certain way, you have to find a way to win.

"That is my problem with such teams which think they can just keep whacking... If it is not according to plan, you still have to try and find a way," Pollock said.

DC have now lost after scoring 264 in their previous match against Punjab Kings and now after getting bundled out for just 75. They had also lost by a solitary run to Gujarat Titans earlier in the competition. Pollock believes that the season is done for the Capitals.

"They have had two body blows in this tournament which I don't think they can come back from. Now three body blows. I would be very surprised if they can bounce back from these three," the former South Africa pacer said.