Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has urged Axar Patel to bowl against left-handers ahead of the IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Chopra noted that the DC captain is holding himself back against the opposition’s left-handed batters but he doesn’t need to.
Patel has scalped five wickets in five matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 25.60 and an impressive economy rate of 7.52.
Chopra recalled that Mitchell Santner got rid of Washington Sundar at Ahmedabad on Monday and thus matchups should not be given all the priority.
“Delhi, I have two questions for you. Kuldeep and Axar haven’t bowled eight overs even once thus far. Axar hesitates to bowl against left-handers. Please bowl. You dismissed Devdutt Padikkal. M Siddharth dismissed Priyansh Arya and Nehal Wadhera. Left-arm spinners can dismiss left-handers,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Who dismissed Washington Sundar? Mitchell Santner got him out. So, Axar, firstly, you can bowl against left-handers, not a problem, and secondly, definitely bowl your eight overs of spin,” he added.
Chopra also wants DC to solve their number three conundrum after they have played three different players in five matches.
“Thirdly, what will you do at No. 3? That’s a big question for you because there is a slight revolving door at No. 3 at the moment. The openers are set. They started with Nitish Rana at No. 3, and then we saw Sameer Rizvi and Karun Nair. We have seen three No. 3s in five matches. It used to happen with them in opening earlier. It’s happening with them at No. 3 now. They will have to sort it out,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer said DC can include leg-spin all-rounder Vipraj Nigam into their playing XI against an attacking SRH batting unit.
“Last but not least, will you want to play Vipraj Nigam, or do you not have confidence in his bowling? That is the only flip side, or else Auqib Nabi and Mukesh Kumar are almost like-for-like bowlers. They are absolute mirror images. You generally don’t go like that in the Powerplay,” Chopra observed.
SRH will host DC on Tuesday.
