Delhi lost by four wickets in four overs, says Venugopal Rao

April 12, 2026

Chennai: Venugopal Rao, Delhi Capitals’ Director of Cricket, admitted that the team’s 23-run defeat was due to a middle-order collapse against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2026 match played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

The game went wrong while chasing the target

Chasing a target of 213, Delhi Capitals got off to a good start, but a sudden fall of wickets disrupted the team’s momentum, leaving them all out for 189.
Rao said that the team’s lack of runs in the middle overs proved costly, and CSK’s fast bowlers made excellent use of the conditions.

Four wickets changed the course of the match

According to Rao, “Four wickets falling in four overs was the turning point of the match. In this format, frequent wickets can have a negative impact on the team. It’s all about momentum.”

He also said that if CSK had been restricted to 15-20 runs less, chasing a target of less than 200 would have been easier.

Consequences of fielding lapses

Delhi Capitals’ fielding was also disappointing. The team missed an easy run-out opportunity and dropped Sanju Samson at 52, who later scored an unbeaten 115.

Rao said, “If we had fielded better, we could have saved 15-20 runs. One or two bad matches are inevitable in a long tournament, but improvement is necessary.”

Suspense over team combination

Regarding Mitchell Starc’s return and Nikhil Chaudhary’s inclusion in the team, Rao said that the situation will become clearer in a week.

Praise Samson’s innings

Despite the defeat, Rao praised Samson’s brilliant innings. “He’s a class player. It’s important for a new team to score big, and this century will help him in the upcoming matches,” he said.