'Yes, the secret is lady luck' - Axar Patel credits wife after his all-round brilliance helped DC beat SRH in IPL 2023

Axar Patel & wife Meha (Source: Twitter)

Delhi Capitals pulled off an incredible win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 34 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday, April 24. After opting to bat first, DC posted a below-par total on the board. However, their bowlers kept their composure, took the game to the last over and defended it. Axar Patel was the star of the night as his all-round brilliance helped his side win by seven runs in a low-scoring encounter.

Speaking after the win, the DC vice-captain gave credit to his wife Meha Patel for his success. For the unversed, the star India all-rounder and Meha got married in January this year.

"Lady luck? Yes, the secret is lady luck. And also there is confidence, confidence in my batting ability because of the way I have been batting over the last 1 year. I am carrying forward that confidence. And when things are going well, I want to be consistent, I want to carry the form forward. That's how I think. Lady luck is also a dietician," Axar told pacer Mukesh Kumar in a video posted on IPL Twitter.

A valuable knock, a special bowling performance under pressure & the story behind Mukesh Kumar's interesting nickname 😃

In conversation with in-form all-rounder @akshar2026 & star bowler Mukesh Kumar 👌🏻👌🏻 - By @28anand

Full Interview 🔽 #TATAIPL https://t.co/7ONyL2wsVN pic.twitter.com/2ppCFVP27p

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 25, 2023

The Capitals got off to a poor start as Bhuvneshwar Kumar drew first blood by dismissing Phillip Salt for a golden duck on the third ball of the innings. DC captain David Warner and Mitchell Marsh tried to bring the team back with a 30+ partnership, but the visitors suffered a sudden collapse when the latter was dismissed in the 5th over. They were reduced to 62/5 in just 8 overs after Washington Sundar took three wickets in one over.

The Axar-Manish partnership brought DC back into the game

When DC appeared to be heading for another defeat by bundling for a low score, Manish Pandey and Axar Patel batted sensibly to give their bowlers a reasonable total to defend. Both departed after scoring 34 runs but ensured their team was in a safe position. Meanwhile, Axar revealed that he was enjoying a cup of coffee when he had to come out to bat suddenly following Sundar's onslaught in the eight over.

"I ordered a coffee. I like to have coffee before I go out to bat. So I thought, 2 wickets have fallen, I will have some coffee. The coffee cup was in my hand only when a couple of players came running and told me 'bhai, go, it's your turn to bat'. Coffee also turned cold and I had to go out," said Axar.

"I went and had a word with Manish Pandey. I asked him about the pitch. He also said he had faced only one ball. But people told me the pitch was slow. We wanted to take the game deep. We were able to build a partnership," he added.