IPL 2025: "Don’t worry, skipper, I’ll do it": Starc to Axar Patel at death overs

Axar Patel, skipper of the Delhi Capitals, arrived for the post-match press conference beaming moments after his team beat Rajasthan Royals via the Super Over on Wednesday night at the Kotla here.

The Capitals have their star pacer Mitchell Starc to thank for the win. He first brilliantly defended just nine runs in the last over that comprised four accurate yorkers, and then ensured RR could score just 11, losing both wickets, in their Super Over which was easily chased down by DC in just four deliveries.  

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DC skipper Axar Patel

An elated Patel was all praise for Starc. “This year in the IPL you can use saliva and given the wickets have very little grass on them, I feel it’s fair to the bowlers. Scores of 180-190 are competitive totals so it helps when bowlers get some reverse swing,” said Patel.

Tough situations highlight the character of a team and Patel was pleased to see his side hold their nerve. “These situations bring out the character of the team and it was very good for me as a captain to see my team perform like this and clinch a win,” he added.

Coming back to Starc’s crucial final overs, Patel said: “Getting the reverse swing is one thing, but executing it is very important. But when he bowled the 18th over, I knew he could beat the batsmen with his pace, yorkers and slower bouncers. And he executed it really well under pressure. We had already discussed the field placements during our team meetings so I just asked him to back himself. I told him to be clear about his plan and he simply said, ‘don’t worry, skipper, I’ll do it’ and he did. Even in the 18th over, he executed it [reverse swing] well. He knew exactly where to bowl. He is such a big player and a legend for Australia. He has a very clear mindset and knows exactly how he’s going to bowl in the death overs,” added Patel.

DC moved to the top of the table with this win and have 10 points from six matches.

RR batsman Nitish Rana was also all praise for Starc. “Credit goes to Starc, the saliva and reverse swing made the difference. It’s difficult when someone bowls 11-12 yorkers at the death and that too with reverse swing, so all credit to him,” said Rana.