NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Murali Kartik believes Delhi Capitals are still mentally scarred by their heartbreaking one-run defeat to Gujarat Titans earlier this IPL season — a loss he feels completely derailed their campaign.Ahead of DC’s crucial clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, Kartik said the Axar Patel-led side has never truly recovered from that dramatic defeat at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“DC, last year had won 4-5 matches at the start, and even this year they won their first two. If you look at their team, there is not much wrong with it,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz. “But that one-run loss against GT, those 2 points, that has been a mental scar for them. That is causing them problems. I don’t think they have recovered from that yet.”
DC had looked set for a strong start to IPL 2026 after winning their opening two matches. However, the dramatic loss against Gujarat — where David Miller ‘controversially’ turned down a single before a final-ball run-out ended the chase — completely changed the team’s trajectory.
DC’s campaign spirals after GT heartbreak
Since that defeat, Delhi have managed only two wins in eight matches. Their campaign has included extreme highs and lows — from failing to defend 264 to collapsing to 75 all out in another game.“They then lost after scoring 264, then they are getting bowled out for 75, they were 13-6 at one stage, so they went into a different way altogether,” Kartik added.Now seventh on the table with eight points from 10 games, DC must win all four remaining matches to realistically stay alive in the playoff race.The Capitals are also struggling badly at home. Their batting has failed repeatedly on difficult surfaces against quality spin attacks, while bowlers have leaked runs consistently throughout the season.
KKR arrive with momentum
In contrast, Kolkata Knight Riders head into the contest with confidence after winning three consecutive matches, including a victory over table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad.“I don’t know whether KKR are favourites for this match or not, but they will come into the match in a good space,” Kartik said.“There was a time when there was so much criticism against them. Players, captain, and everyone were being dragged.”While KKR’s playoff hopes remain slim, Kartik believes the former champions at least have regained some confidence heading into the business end of the tournament.
