Delhi Capitals players (Pic credit: IPL)

NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitalsscripted an unprecedented chapter in Indian Premier League history on Wednesday, becoming the first team ever to miss the playoffs after winning their first four matches of a season.Their 59-run drubbing at the hands of Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium sealed their fate, as MI became the final team to qualify for theIPL 2025 playoffs.Delhi, led by stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis in the absence of the ailing Axar Patel, found themselves bundled out for just 121 in pursuit of a challenging 181-run target. Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Santner picked up three wickets apiece to decimate DC’s batting order. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The win propelled MI to 16 points and fourth place, leaving DC stranded on 13 points with one game to go, effectively ending their campaign.Who’s that IPL player?DC’s season started with immense promise, notching up four consecutive victories. By the halfway mark, they had won six out of eight games and looked destined for a top-four finish. However, a shocking collapse in the second half – featuring four losses and one no result – led to their elimination and an IPL record they’d rather not own.Adding to their woes, the loss against MI was Delhi’s 21st in the IPL against the five-time champions — their worst record against any side and the joint second-highest in the league’s history.Most wins against a team in the IPL

Faf du Plessis remained graceful in defeat. “We were excellent in the field and with the ball for 17-18 overs. But those final two overs shifted the momentum completely,” he said. Du Plessis also highlighted the absence of key players: “Axar was too ill to play, and Starc opted out. On a pitch like this, having Axar’s left-arm spin would’ve been gold.”

As MI celebrated their playoff berth, Delhi were left to reflect on a season that began in glory but ended in disappointment — a reminder that in the IPL, momentum is everything.