"It was a big mistake by Axar Patel" - Aakash Chopra questions DC skipper's captaincy in IPL 2025 loss vs RCB

Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned Axar Patel's captaincy in the Delhi Capitals' (DC) IPL 2025 loss against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He wondered why the DC skipper didn't give the penultimate over to Mitchell Starc during RCB's chase.

DC set RCB a 163-run target in Match 46 of IPL 2025 in Delhi on Sunday, April 27. The visitors achieved the target with six wickets and nine deliveries to spare to climb atop the points table.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener opined that Axar committed a big mistake by not giving the 19th over to Mitchell Starc.

"A question remained in my mind for sure. Sir Axar Patel, what will you do with Mitchell Starc's over? I am not saying the match would have changed. Abishek Porel dropped a catch earlier. If he had taken the catch, the match might have changed," Chopra said (4:40).

"After that, who will you bowl when 18 runs are required in two overs? Obviously, while defending, the 19th over is more important than the 20th, but you didn't get Starc to bowl. That was a blunder in capital letters. Dushmantha Chameera also bowled well. His one over was also left. I felt it was a big mistake by Axar Patel," he added.

RCB needed 17 runs off 12 deliveries in their IPL 2025 clash against DC. Axar Patel opted to give the penultimate over to Mukesh Kumar ahead of Mitchell Starc. The move proved counterproductive as the Indian seamer conceded the required runs off three deliveries, with a no-ball on the second ball and the resultant free hit also helping the visitors' cause.

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"It was so timely and came in such incredible fashion" - Aakash Chopra lauds Krunal Pandya's knock in RCB's IPL 2025 win vs DC

Krunal Pandya's unbeaten half-century helped RCB register a relatively easy win in their IPL 2025 clash against DC. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra praised Krunal Pandya for ending his long half-century drought during RCB's chase in their IPL 2025 away game against DC.

"The start was slightly bad, and when Rajat (Patidar) got run out, one wondered what was going to happen. However, Krunal Pandya came there. He has only two half-centuries in the IPL. Suresh (Raina) was saying that he scored a half-century after 3000 days, but it was so timely and came in such incredible fashion," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the spin-bowling all-rounder's timely big hits swayed the game in RCB's favor.

"The way he batted, he was stellar in capital letters. He hit three sixes, two against Mukesh Kumar and one against Kuldeep Yadav, when it seemed like the match was hanging in the balance, and that was game, set and match," Chopra observed.

Chopra also appreciated Virat Kohli for playing a usual calculated knock in a run chase.

"At the other end, Virat Kohli had to do what Virat Kohli does. He is the chase master because he dissects the run chase. Like a computer, he reads how fast he needs to run and who to hit and when. We saw that job from Virat Kohli's bat," he elaborated.

While Krunal Pandya remained unbeaten on a 47-ball 73, Virat Kohli scored 51 runs off 47 deliveries. The duo added 119 runs for the fourth wicket after RCB had been reduced to 26/3 in four overs.