Indian Premier League 2026 - 26th Match
RCB
0/0
vs
DC
0/0
Match starts at Apr 18, 10:00 GMT
won the toss and chose to
Commentary
Preview by Kaushik Rangarajan
Royal Challengers Bengaluru arrive for their 100th IPL game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, exactly 18 years after their first, with the assurance of a side that knows exactly who it is. They have begun their title defence with four wins from five, including all three at home. Add the two home victories that closed out last season, and the streak begins to breathe life into an old idea once thought impossible here: that of the Chinnaswamy as a fortress. This might seem like new language for a franchise that spent years treating its own home ground like an unsolved puzzle, even though they have had six-game winning streaks here in a very different era of the IPL (2011-12, 2013).
Which is why Andy Flower's measured remark about having "learnt their lessons" before the season carries such weight. Last year, RCB stumbled through three early home defeats, losing the toss each time and slipping into a pattern that had become all too familiar. One of those losses came against Delhi Capitals, and lingered in memory for the imagery after the winning runs: KL Rahul, channelling Kantara, drawing an imaginary circle on the turf and mouthing, "this is my home."
That feeling of being 'at home' will be tested once more on Saturday because the Chinnaswamy is never still for long. Conditions here can shift quickly, and an afternoon start introduces another layer of uncertainty. The pitch for the most recent fixture against Lucknow Super Giants played slow and sticky, holding the ball up in a manner that jarred with the four 200-plus totals that had come before it. Should that mood of the surface persist, Delhi's spin resources - including Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam - could emerge as a central threat against the hosts' frightening batting lineup.
The Capitals, though, arrive with questions of their own. A bright opening - two wins from two, and within a run of making it three - has since given way to successive defeats. If Flower spoke of lessons learned, Hemang Badani will know the value of them too. Promising starts dissolving into losing runs is a pattern he can ill afford to let harden again in 2026. The talent remains, as does enough early-season evidence to suggest they belong in the race. But in a tournament where momentum is the closest thing to currency, two straight losses before a trip away to the champions demand both a response and a recalibration.
When: RCB vs DC, IPL 2026, April 18 at 3:30 PM IST
Where: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
What to expect: Pitch No. 7 is set to be used for this fixture, the same surface that staged the opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It carries a slightly more straw-coloured look and retains a touch more grass than the adjacent strip used for the LSG game, though those distinctions are only relative.
What could matter more is the weather. Bengaluru is forecast for a hot, sultry afternoon, with temperatures expected to touch 35 degree Celsius around the start of play. In those conditions, batting first may still carry added value, even against the usual Chinnaswamy instinct that points sides towards the chase.
Head to Head: RCB 20-12 DC. The teams split the two encounters last season, each winning at the other's home.
Team News:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Injuries & Availability: Virat Kohli has not fielded in either of the last two fixtures due to illness and a knee concern. He had a short fielding drill on the eve of the game after a full batting session but RCB might yet choose to play it saffe and have him as an Impact Player for another game.
Tactics & Matchups: KL Rahul has an excellent record against RCB (more below) and knows the conditions at his 'home' ground better than most. He does have somewhat underwhelming returns against Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the IPL, scoring at just 110.1 over 99 deliveries along with two dismissals. RCB will want to win this match-up early in this contest.
Probable XII: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood/Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar
Delhi Capitals
Injuries & Availability: The Capitals are still waiting on the fitness of Mitchell Starc, who is yet to arrive for the tournament.
Tactics & Matchups: Spinners played a big role in Delhi's win here last season despite a blazing RCB start. The two-left arm spinners, Axar and Kuldeep, will be entrusted to keep a right-dominant RCB line-up quiet. Their IPL numbers against Virat Kohli are also great; the RCB talisman strikes Kuldeep at only 117.2 while going even slower against Axar at 112.8.
Probable XII: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar
Did you know?
- RCB's seam attack has picked 27 wickets at an average of 24.6 and has taken a wicket every 14.3 deliveries. All these parameters are best among all the teams this season.
- Rajat Patidar has struck at 221.7 against pace compared to 197.1 agains spin this season
- KL Rahul averages 71.1 against RCB and has scored four fifties and a hundred against them in 17 innings
- RCB have a 5-8 win-loss record in green jersey games, including one no result which came against Delhi Daredevils in 2015
What they said
"I think our attack is a great balanced attack, everyone's a little bit different. It's probably similar to our Aussie attack in some regards. Everyone just brings a little different skill set to the table and I find that here, with our two spinners as well. It feels like we've got every base covered." - Josh Hazlewood
"I don't take emotions into the game. When I play, it's purely professional and strictly business as you would call it. I'm representing Delhi Capitals now. I had a great time at RCB and we won the title, but that chapter is over. Now my responsibility is to perform for Delhi Capitals who have showed their faith in me." - Lungi Ngidi
Royal Challengers Bengaluru arrive for their 100th IPL game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, exactly 18 years after their first, with the assurance of a side that knows exactly who it is. They have begun their title defence with four wins from five, including all three at home. Add the two home victories that closed out last season, and the streak begins to breathe life into an old idea once thought impossible here: that of the Chinnaswamy as a fortress. This might seem like new language for a franchise that spent years treating its own home ground like an unsolved puzzle, even though they have had six-game winning streaks here in a very different era of the IPL (2011-12, 2013).
Which is why Andy Flower's measured remark about having "learnt their lessons" before the season carries such weight. Last year, RCB stumbled through three early home defeats, losing the toss each time and slipping into a pattern that had become all too familiar. One of those losses came against Delhi Capitals, and lingered in memory for the imagery after the winning runs: KL Rahul, channelling Kantara, drawing an imaginary circle on the turf and mouthing, "this is my home."
That feeling of being 'at home' will be tested once more on Saturday because the Chinnaswamy is never still for long. Conditions here can shift quickly, and an afternoon start introduces another layer of uncertainty. The pitch for the most recent fixture against Lucknow Super Giants played slow and sticky, holding the ball up in a manner that jarred with the four 200-plus totals that had come before it. Should that mood of the surface persist, Delhi's spin resources - including Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam - could emerge as a central threat against the hosts' frightening batting lineup.
The Capitals, though, arrive with questions of their own. A bright opening - two wins from two, and within a run of making it three - has since given way to successive defeats. If Flower spoke of lessons learned, Hemang Badani will know the value of them too. Promising starts dissolving into losing runs is a pattern he can ill afford to let harden again in 2026. The talent remains, as does enough early-season evidence to suggest they belong in the race. But in a tournament where momentum is the closest thing to currency, two straight losses before a trip away to the champions demand both a response and a recalibration.
When: RCB vs DC, IPL 2026, April 18 at 3:30 PM IST
Where: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
What to expect: Pitch No. 7 is set to be used for this fixture, the same surface that staged the opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It carries a slightly more straw-coloured look and retains a touch more grass than the adjacent strip used for the LSG game, though those distinctions are only relative.
What could matter more is the weather. Bengaluru is forecast for a hot, sultry afternoon, with temperatures expected to touch 35 degree Celsius around the start of play. In those conditions, batting first may still carry added value, even against the usual Chinnaswamy instinct that points sides towards the chase.
Head to Head: RCB 20-12 DC. The teams split the two encounters last season, each winning at the other's home.
Team News:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Injuries & Availability: Virat Kohli has not fielded in either of the last two fixtures due to illness and a knee concern. He had a short fielding drill on the eve of the game after a full batting session but RCB might yet choose to play it saffe and have him as an Impact Player for another game.
Tactics & Matchups: KL Rahul has an excellent record against RCB (more below) and knows the conditions at his 'home' ground better than most. He does have somewhat underwhelming returns against Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the IPL, scoring at just 110.1 over 99 deliveries along with two dismissals. RCB will want to win this match-up early in this contest.
Probable XII: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood/Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar
Delhi Capitals
Injuries & Availability: The Capitals are still waiting on the fitness of Mitchell Starc, who is yet to arrive for the tournament.
Tactics & Matchups: Spinners played a big role in Delhi's win here last season despite a blazing RCB start. The two-left arm spinners, Axar and Kuldeep, will be entrusted to keep a right-dominant RCB line-up quiet. Their IPL numbers against Virat Kohli are also great; the RCB talisman strikes Kuldeep at only 117.2 while going even slower against Axar at 112.8.
Probable XII: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar
Did you know?
- RCB's seam attack has picked 27 wickets at an average of 24.6 and has taken a wicket every 14.3 deliveries. All these parameters are best among all the teams this season.
- Rajat Patidar has struck at 221.7 against pace compared to 197.1 agains spin this season
- KL Rahul averages 71.1 against RCB and has scored four fifties and a hundred against them in 17 innings
- RCB have a 5-8 win-loss record in green jersey games, including one no result which came against Delhi Daredevils in 2015
What they said
"I think our attack is a great balanced attack, everyone's a little bit different. It's probably similar to our Aussie attack in some regards. Everyone just brings a little different skill set to the table and I find that here, with our two spinners as well. It feels like we've got every base covered." - Josh Hazlewood
"I don't take emotions into the game. When I play, it's purely professional and strictly business as you would call it. I'm representing Delhi Capitals now. I had a great time at RCB and we won the title, but that chapter is over. Now my responsibility is to perform for Delhi Capitals who have showed their faith in me." - Lungi Ngidi
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Jordan Cox, Kanishk Chouhan, Mangesh Yadav, Jacob Duffy, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Bethell, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Satvik Deswal
Delhi Capitals Squad: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul(w), Sameer Rizvi, David Miller, Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Auqib Nabi Dar, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana, Mitchell Starc, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Tripurana Vijay, Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Madhav Tiwari