In a packed Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Capitals face Punjab Kings in IPL 2026 match number 35. Axar Patel called right at the toss and elected to bat, banking on a big first-innings score amid predictions of a slowing pitch.
‘This is our plan – bat big and defend,’ Axar told reporters. ‘Second innings could be tricky with the surface turning. We’re close to wins but faltering on key details. Sticking with the same XI.’
Shreyas Iyer of PBKS wasn’t surprised. ‘I’d have bowled too. Season’s going great; we focus on the now and right routines. Unchanged lineup for us.’
PBKS dominates with 6 straight victories and 11 points, topping the standings. DC, with 3-3 record and 6 points, needs a home win badly to challenge the frontrunners.
Full DC XI: KL Rahul (keeper), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (capt), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar. Subs: Vipraj Nigam, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Ashutosh Sharma, Aukib Nabi Dar.
PBKS XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal. Subs: Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Vishnu Vinod.
Spotlight falls on DC’s batting firepower against PBKS’s lethal spin duo of Chahal and Stoinis. A win here could ignite DC’s campaign, but PBKS’s form suggests another tough outing for the hosts.
