IPL 2026: Dropped catches cost Delhi Capitals, says Venugopal Rao after loss to Punjab Kings

Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao blamed six dropped catches for the loss to Punjab Kings, despite KL Rahul’s century. He highlighted fielding lapses, Ngidi’s injury impact, and stressed improvement in powerplay bowling and catching.

Hyderabad: “ I can say that not 2, we dropped almost 6 catches today. See, when you are dropping at a crucial time, I do not think we will win these kinds of matches. Chances to players like Prabhsimran, Priyansh Arya and Shreyas, we need to take those. If we drop catches, we cannot defend,” said Y. Venugopal Rao, Director of Cricket, Delhi Capitals.

Speaking to the media after Delhi lost to Punjab Kings despite a blazing century by K.L. Rahul, Venugopal Rao praised KL for the way he handled it.

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“Nobody knows how the pitch behaved, but he kept striking the ball well. The way he played till the last over, hats off. He continued his form. In this format, you cannot relax,” Venugopal Rao said.

“Rahul took responsibility as a senior player and you saw the difference this year in what he can bring. I am happy for him. We could not get the win, but we will come back strong next match,” he said.

“We will see. Next game when we come, we will answer. There are a lot of positives. But the areas to improve are powerplay bowling and catching,” the former India star said.

On impact and player safety, Venugopal Rao saidthey missed 24 balls from Lungi Ngidi (who was carred off on a stretcher for an on-field injury while fielding)and that it made a difference.

“We hope Ngidi recovers fast and comes back. I cannot comment on more right now,” he said.

“Hats off to the way Punjab also played. They never let it slip. The way they batted in the first six overs, the game changed. In the last few years, with the impact rule, no score is safe unless you take catches,” Venugopal Rao said.

“But if you look back, the four overs of Lungi and the 6 dropped catches made the difference,” he said.

“Cricket Australia has given a report. From May 1 onwards, he is available. We will wait and see the combination,” Venugopal Rao said.

On fast bowler Auqib Nabi’s expensive spell, he said that Nabi did well in red-ball cricket. “This is his first IPL, it happens to everyone. He will gain experience. We need to back him. It is difficult to get fast bowlers in India and he has done well. He will learn,” he said.