Mohammad Kaif has taken a strong stance against Axar Patel for publicly criticising his Delhi Capitals teammate Kuldeep Yadav during the team's challenging IPL 2026 campaign. Despite keeping their slim playoff hopes alive with a thrilling three-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Monday, Delhi Capitals remain under pressure after losing seven of their 12 matches this season.
Kaif's Criticism of Axar's Public Comments
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif expressed his disappointment over Axar's decision to single out Kuldeep after Delhi's earlier defeat against Chennai Super Kings. Kaif emphasised that mature captains never publicly name or blame their players, especially someone like Kuldeep, who has a proven track record.
“A mature captain never publicly names one of his players or lets his player down. He does not openly blame him. I can understand that Kuldeep has gone through a tough phase this season—he has not bowled that well and hasn't picked up many wickets. But ever since he joined Delhi, he has been a proven bowler,” Kaif said.
Backing Kuldeep's Long-Term Value
Kaif further defended Kuldeep, highlighting his consistent performances for both Delhi Capitals and the Indian national team across formats over the years. He urged the team management to handle such situations internally rather than making them public.
“Forget just the IPL; even if you talk about India in ODIs or T20Is over the years, he has consistently performed. Yes, this season has been a bit quiet for him and his bowling has not been at its best. But you should never take a player's name publicly. Instead, you should simply say that things did not go well as a team,” he added.
Axar's Captain's Knock Against Punjab Kings
Interestingly, Axar himself delivered a captain's knock during Delhi's dramatic chase against Punjab Kings. After Delhi slipped to 33 for 3 while chasing a daunting target of 211, Axar smashed 56 off 30 balls and formed a crucial partnership with David Miller to revive the innings.
After the win, Axar praised the character shown by his side and insisted that Delhi had been playing good cricket despite failing to win key moments earlier in the season.
“I have been saying that we are a good team, playing good cricket but not winning the crucial moments,” Axar said after the match. “I am really happy with how we played and hopefully we continue playing like this.”
He also praised the youngsters in the squad, adding: “Given the type of cricket we are playing and the bench strength we have, the future is in good hands. Youngsters standing up in such situations is a good sign.”
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