Ex-Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has slammed the Delhi Capitals' approach after crashing out of IPL 2025 playoffs race. Harbhajan feels all the Capitals have been doing is learning over the past 18 seasons instead of winning and especially criticised their auction strategy.
Although the Capitals began their campaign with four consecutive wins, the second part of the tournament particularly went worse for them. After conceding 180 against the Mumbai Indians on Wednesday at the Wankhede Stadium, the Capitals crumbled to 121 in 18.2 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Santner picking up three scalps each.
Speaking on Star Sports after the match, Harbhajan stated:
"Ek na bada famous dialogue chal raha hai. Either we win, or we learn. Or either learning hee hue jaa rahi hai. Win toh ho hee nahin rahi hai. Yeh aur ek saal jod dijiye learning mein. Kitna learn karke aayenge. Kahin na kahin mujhe lagta hai, focus karna chahiye ki kahan chook hui hai. Auction mein woh khliaadiyon ko kyun nahin chuna. Middle-order mein itne badhiya khiladi they aapke paas, jo le sakte they. Jinke upar nazar nahin gayi, vahan chook hui hai. Mujhe lagta hai shopping acchi nahin kari unhone."
(There's a famous dialogue going on right now. Either we win, or we learn. There's only learning for them, no winning. Add one more year of learning here. They have to focus on where they missed out. They didn't select the right players in the auction. They had such good players in the middle order that they could have chosen but didn't. They didn't shop well in the auction.)
"Opening at the top was a worry for us" - Hemang Badani
At the post-game presser, Capitals' head coach Hemang Badani lamented the lack of settled opening pair as a significant reason behind their woes. Badani said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"A settled opening pair is only possible when your opening pair gives you a start. If you don't get starts, you are bound to make changes to try and fill that gap, fill that void. While other sides have had great powerplay with the bat, we haven't had those, unfortunately. Opening at the top was a worry for us."
