IPL: Karun Nair and Shashank Singh dropped simple catches on Saturday in DC vs PBKS. (Reuters/PTI Photo)

Axar lambasts DC after Punjab loss: Fans call Karun Nair the new Shashank Singh

Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel lambasted his team for dropping catches against Punjab Kings. DC scored 264 runs, one of the highest totals in IPL history, but ended up surrendering the game to Shreyas Iyer's Punjab.

25 Apr 2026, 17:47 by India Today Sports Desk · India Today

In Short

Delhi Capitals lost to Punjab Kings despite scoring 264 runs
Axar Patel was not happy with the team's fielding effort
Delhi lost the game when they dropped Shreyas Iyer's catch at a crucial stage

Delhi Capitals did not do themselves any favours as they lost their home game against Punjab Kings despite scoring 264 runs. DC were hunted down by Punjab as the Shreyas Iyer-led side recorded the highest chase in the history of the Indian Premier League on Saturday, April 25.

The hosts nearly had the match against a rampaging Punjab side when Shreyas Iyer miscued a simple shot off Vipraj Nigam in the 15th over of the match. Punjab needed a little over 60 runs at the time, and the wicket of Iyer could have really dented the team's momentum going into the death overs.

DC vs PBKS, IPL 2026: Highlights | Scorecard

However, Karun Nair, standing at long-off, made a meal of one of the simplest catches in cricket, throwing away the team's chances of winning the game. The Punjab Kings captain made Delhi pay, chasing the total in just 18.5 overs.

A distraught Axar Patel spoke to the broadcaster after the match, blaming the fielding for the loss. Axar said that Delhi kept repeating the same mistakes with dropped catches, and there was no way the team could win matches if that continued.

"Yes, we are doing the same mistakes time and time again. I think with the wicket being so flat, if you can't support your bowlers then we deserve to lose," Axar Patel said after the match.

"At the same time, our bowling unit needs to look at itself with the way they bowled in the powerplay. Our fast bowlers didn't bowl well in the powerplay and add to that our fielding, which cost us the game. I felt 264 was a really good score on this wicket," he added.

KARUN-SHASHANK BHAI BHAI

Before the Karun Nair drop, Punjab Kings' Shashank Singh had dropped an absolute sitter of KL Rahul at mid-wicket. This was the fourth drop that Shashank had made in the last two games, which prompted an angry Ricky Ponting to call his fielder off the ground.

KL Rahul went onto pay DC, hitting 152* off just 67 balls.

Fans joked that Karun Nair was the new Shashank Singh and had a field day flooding social media with memes.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Yuzvendra Chahal brushed off the dropped catch, stating that it was a part of the game and that these things happen.

After the loss, Delhi further cemented their position in the mid-table logjam, which has three teams with 6 points each. Punjab, on the other hand, remained unbeaten with 6 wins from 7 games. The Shreyas Iyer-led side continues to dominate the league table with 13 points and a healthy net run rate of +1.333.

- Ends