Former India captain Kris Srikkanth has criticized Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Hemang Badani over the latter’s older comments on CSK head coach Stephen Fleming.
Srikkanth mentioned the old words after DC’s 9-wicket loss to RCB on April 28.
DC’s defeat against RCB
After being invited to bat at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Delhi Capitals got off to the worst start in IPL history. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood combined to pick three wickets each in the powerplay, and DC also recorded the lowest powerplay total in IPL history.
Impact player Abhishek Porel managed 30 runs, helping DC avoid the lowest team total in IPL history, but they ultimately made just 75 runs.
Devdutt Padikkal’s unbeaten 34 ensured RCB completed the chase in just 6.3 overs, although they lost the wicket of Jacob Bethell.
During the match, Virat Kohli became the first player to score 9,000 runs in the IPL.
Badani, who was appointed DC head coach in 2025, had given an interview earlier that year in which he spoke to former Delhi Capitals player Yo Mahesh.
At one point in the chat, Badani questioned CSK head coach Stephen Fleming’s credentials and pointed to the Kiwi’s lack of success in T20 leagues outside the IPL.
“If Fleming is a great coach, why hasn’t he won anywhere else apart from the IPL??” Badani had asked. “CSK is winning because of Dhoni. “Dhoni is the kingpin…if anyone says Fleming is a good coach, I won’t accept it,” he added.
“He talked too much” – Kris Srikkanth on Badani
Kris Srikkanth took to his YouTube channel to criticize Badani’s old words and the team’s current performance. After criticizing Delhi’s batting, Kris Srikkanth attacked Badani.
“On top of all this, Hemang Badani went after Stephen Fleming.” Kris Srikanth fuming “Hello Hemang. Take care of yourself first before talking about others. I have always said this: ‘in life, don’t talk too much’. He talked too much. Now, he has to shut up and see how things happen.”
“Everyone brings this up and criticizes it. Why talk about others? You should have been aware of your work. Who are you to say that Stephen Fleming won only because of MS Dhoni? What have you done? Anything special? Nothing.”
With Badani as head coach, DC failed to qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs despite winning each of their first four matches in a strong start to the season.
Kris Srikkanth then questioned the DC management for their poor tactics during the match. He asked why 18-year-old debutant Sahil Parakh was allowed to go on strike instead of an in-form KL Rahul.
Srikkanth also questioned why the more experienced Prithvi Shaw did not make it to game XII and instead teenager Parakh was thrown in at the deep end.
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DC performance and next match in IPL 2026
Delhi Capitals are 7th in the points table after just 3 wins in 8 matches. They are also on a three-game losing streak and have been consigned to the second-worst net return rate in the league.
Their next match will be against Rajasthan Royals on May 1 in Jaipur.