Delhi Capitals struggle with inconsistent home pitches in IPL 2026, affecting their performance.
Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani has stated that his team is still getting accustomed to the pitches at their home ground in Delhi. Badani added that home sides have no control over the surfaces they play on, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) 'look after the surfaces' which has been the case for a while in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 'We don't have any control over the surfaces,' Badani said. 'As much as one would like to think that we are in control of the surface that we want to play on, there is a clear mandate from the BCCI that they look after the surfaces and they are the ones who ensure that there's no local side that gets benefit out of the surfaces. So you play what is presented to you. And yes, it's been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get at Delhi, which is our home.'
So far, Delhi Capitals have played five matches in IPL 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and have won just one, against Mumbai Indians last month. Towards the end of April, Delhi Capitals had to contend with two contrasting pitches: two days after playing on a pitch where 265 played 264, they were dismissed for 75 in 16.3 overs on a track that offered swing and bounce. On Tuesday, they encountered a slow, grippy pitch, which brought CSK's spinners Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad into the contest.
On a helpful surface, left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav kept missing his lengths, conceding 34 runs in his three overs without taking a wicket. It extended Kuldeep's poor form: he has bowled 30 overs this season, going at over ten an over while picking up only seven wickets so far.
Axar Patel has led DC's spin attack, but he has struggled with the bat this season, scoring only 33 runs in seven innings at an average of 5.50 and strike rate of under 90.
Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani expressed confidence in Axar Patel, saying, 'They are people who have played cricket at the highest level,' referring to Axar and other experienced players. He added, 'Double World Cup winner. You work with them, you give them faith. They have faith in themselves in the sense that they have played the game, they have figured out the ways and means of going through the grind, ways and means of struggles and how you come back. They've done it all.'
Badani also stated, 'We play what is presented to you. And yes, it's been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get at Delhi, which is our home.' He further emphasized, 'Seven [75] one game, one game was 265. Again, this was a surface which spun.'