The Delhi Capitals had to rely on their stand-in skipper Axar Patel to lead the team in a must-win clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deciding to suspend Rishabh Pant. The wicket-keeper batter was slapped with a 1-match ban after his third over-rate offense of the season. Pant, who has been pivotal to his franchise’s victories this season, both as a leader and a wicket-keeper batter, didn’t directly react to the suspension but shared a cryptic post on Instagram on Sunday.

“The only thing we have power over in the universe is our own thoughts. Can’t say much,” Pant wrote on Instagram.

The match against RCB resulted into a defeat for DC who suffered a 47-run loss to all but bow out of the top 4 race.

While RCB are also on 12 points, a superior NRR of 0.387 compared to DC’s dismal -0.482 still keeps them in the hunt if they happen to win their last game and also have a few results going their way. “Dropped catches hurt us. We could have restricted them to 150. Also when you lose four wickets in powerplay, you are always chasing the game. 160-170 would have been a par score as the pitch was two-paced. Some were skidding, some were holding,” Axar Patel, DC’s stand-in skipper for the match, said in the presentation ceremony.

There were two run-outs — first a freak one off team’s most impactful batter Jake Fraser-McGurk and the other off Tristan Stubbs which cost DC dearly.

“When your main players are run out and you lose four in powerplay, you’re chasing the game,” said the all-rounder, who for all practical purposes know that his team has little chance of making it to top four. Anything can happen, but haven’t thought that far ahead.”

With PTI inputs