IPL 2026: Both Teams Unchanged As DC Elect To Bat First Against PBKS

IPL 2026: Both teams unchanged as DC elect to bat first against PBKS (Image Source: IANS)

Both Delhi Capitals: Both Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings are unchanged as hosts captain Axar Patel won the toss and elected to bat first in match 35 of IPL 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. While table-toppers PBKS are the lone unbeaten team in the tournament, DC have three wins and as many losses to be at sixth spot.

“It looks a bit dry and obviously it’s a day game, and it’s quite hot as well. So we’re thinking of putting up a good total first and then trying to defend it. Yes, from the looks of it, it seems like it will slow down a bit later, and the bowlers might get some help as well. So we want to post a good total first and give the bowlers a chance to make use of any assistance from the wicket,” said Axar after winning the toss.

He also talked about DC’s intent to not make any silly mistakes in this clash. “We want to focus on ourselves. Every team we are playing is playing good cricket. We have also been playing good cricket, but the thing is that in crucial moments, I think we are not winning those moments in the game.

“We are making silly mistakes, and if we correct those, I think we will be back on track. If consistency comes in, and if we fix the small mistakes we are making in the field or in taking decisions at crucial times, then I think we will be on the winning side most of the time.”

PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer, who’s playing an IPL game in the national capital for the first time after 2019, said he too would have bowled first if the toss had gone his way. “I would love to bowl, but thankfully, I had a small discussion with Axar before the toss. He said that he's going to bat, so I was happy that we are going to bowl and the toss was inconsequential,” he said.

He also spoke about the need to be in the present and being better in that moment. “It's important to stay in the moment, that's how you want the environment to be. I personally feel you just have to keep training harder and keep getting better every now and then, better than the previous performance.

“That's what I keep telling my teammates as well. We need to inculcate the right habits in the dressing room and culture that we've been building so far. It has been, touch wood, going great. We just have to keep enjoying the game and have fun along with each other.”

Saturday’s game will be played on pitch number six, with square boundary dimensions of 67 and 59 metres respectively, while the straight boundary stands at 73 metres. In his pitch report, Simon Katich said the pitch appears rock hard with little grass cover.

He also opined that given the scorching heat, this contest could be a low-scoring one as the pitch is expected to slow down and assist spin as the game progresses. The outfield, however, remains lightning quick.

Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (captain), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, and Mukesh Kumar

Impact Substitutes: Vipraj Nigam, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Ashutosh Sharma, and Auqib Nabi Dar

Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (captain), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, and Mukesh Kumar

Impact Substitutes: Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, and Vishnu Vinod

Article Source: IANS