Indian Premier League 2026 - 48th Match
DC
0/0
vs
CSK
0/0
Match starts at May 05, 14:00 GMT
won the toss and chose to
Commentary
Preview by Purnima Malhotra
If there's one thing Delhi has refused to offer this past week, it's consistency. The capital has swung wildly between heatwave alerts and hailstorm warnings, sometimes both in a day's span. On the field, incidentally, Delhi Capitals have mirrored that same volatility.
Over the course of their last home stretch, Delhi scaled unprecedented heights of 264 - their highest total in competition history - only to then crash to an embarrassing low of 75 all out in the next outing. Crushingly, both of those extremes ended in defeats: the first ended as the highest total chased in Men's T20 history, the second is now the second-biggest defeat by balls remaining. It extended a losing run that briefly threatened to derail yet another promising campaign - their fifth defeat in six games. But, just as Delhi got on the road, points returned in an equally dramatic fashion. Against a strong RR side, Delhi gunned down 226 with an over to spare - their highest successful IPL chase in 19 years.
DC might still be unsure of their best overseas combination - and by extension, their starting XI - but whatever unfortunate injury and concussion episodes have dictated lately, has helped them snap out of a losing streak with a morale-boosting victory. 'Was benching David Miller the best strategy' has no straightforward answer, as it allowed them to rejig their misfiring pace department with two foreigners and hand a comeback window to Pathum Nissanka, who has grabbed the chance with both hands. Mitchell Starc's addition has brought the much-needed bite to their new-ball attack, and with Lungi Ngidi's impending return, DC might just be very close to locking in their best combination just as the business end approaches.
CSK are in the same boat in more ways than one. For starters, both sides are tied at eight points each from their nine games, separated only by CSK's better NRR following their last win. In terms of injuries, CSK may have been the worst hit side. Stringing together victories has been a constant struggle for both teams. Both arrive in the national capital on back of comprehensive victories, but calling either "back in form" can be a bit generous. CSK and DC are both walking a tightrope with four more teams tied on 12 points above them in the standings. Although if numbers offer any solace ahead of their Tuesday away game, CSK have consistently prevailed over Delhi, and in Delhi.
DC's home record isn't the best lately. Since winning 4/5 in 2024, the Capitals have only two wins so far across the 2025 and 2026 seasons in nine completed games here. As they return home, the question lingers: which Delhi will show up? Much like the city's weather, their season has been anything but predictable. Unlike the summer though, DC can't afford any more slip-ups.
When: Tuesday, May 5 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
What to expect: A different track than the four previous games - pitch no. 4 - has been prepared, but should aid scoring. Average first innings total at the venue in wins has been 210 runs; the only aberration was DC's 75 all out. GT is the only team this season to defend a total here.
Head-to-head: CSK comfortably lead 20-12. Even in Delhi, the visitors have a strong 6-2 record. Since 2022, CSK have won four times to Delhi's two victories.
Teams Watch:
Delhi Capitals
Injuries & Availability: Lungi Ngidi is now available again after serving the seven-day stay-down period as mandated by the ICC concussion rule. Sahil Parakh is "still injured". The teenager's back injury prompted combination changes, including Nissanka's comeback and Miller's benching. DC will stick with this starting XI, as bowling coach Munaf Patel has all but ruled out a change at the top.
Matchups & Tactics: Although they've had their moments, CSK's opening partnership aggregate of 205 at an average of just 22.77 is the second-lowest among all the teams this season after KKR's. They haven't got the best of match-ups against the Delhi captain. Axar Patel has dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad (SR 140.35) thrice and Sanju Samson (SR 122.97) twice in T20s before, and might just be tempted to bowl himself in the Powerplay again in search of early wicket(s).
Probable XII: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel/Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan
Chennai Super Kings
Injuries & Availability: MS Dhoni hasn't travelled to Delhi as he continues his rehabilitation on the sidelines. CSK are yet to announce a replacement for the recently-injured Ramakrishna Ghosh.
Matchups & Tactics: KL Rahul's first-10 ball strike-rate has skyrocketed to 147.76, and he has already scored a 152* and a 92 at the venue this season. Pathum Nissanka too has struck form to go with his explosive batting style. Anshul Kamboj - who has enjoyed a fair bit of success vs RHB in Powerplays this edition (47 balls, 4 wickets, economy 8.29) would be CSK's best bet to make early inroads.
Probable XII: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh/Akash Madhwal
Did you know?
- 20 wins for CSK against DC is the second-most for them against a team after 21 wins against KKR and RCB.
- Delhi have lost three straight games at home - out of four so far. The only game they won was against MI.
- Capitals have dropped 16 catches so far, and their catching efficiency of 65.2% is the worst among the 10 teams.
What they said:
"I don't think one must link his runs to his captaincy. He's always been very clear around the leadership, and he's very much the leader of the team... He's had some tough innings, in the sense that we've been in trouble, the wicket's been tough, and he's battled through them. That's the hallmark of a really quality batsman, that just doesn't score runs on good wickets. To me, I've always called him a surgeon in this world of chaos batting. He's the kind of guy that gets 50 runs in 22 balls, and you haven't noticed him. We're starting to see that part of him again. The leadership has always been there, he's always been the captain. It's just good that he's now scoring runs, but there was never a doubt that he was going to." - CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons on Ruturaj Gaikwad finding his batting mojo back
"We made changes because Sahil was injured. Pathum came in as a replacement, and we will continue with that approach because he performed well. I don't think there is a need for further changes." - DC bowling coach Munaf Patel on benching David Miller
If there's one thing Delhi has refused to offer this past week, it's consistency. The capital has swung wildly between heatwave alerts and hailstorm warnings, sometimes both in a day's span. On the field, incidentally, Delhi Capitals have mirrored that same volatility.
Over the course of their last home stretch, Delhi scaled unprecedented heights of 264 - their highest total in competition history - only to then crash to an embarrassing low of 75 all out in the next outing. Crushingly, both of those extremes ended in defeats: the first ended as the highest total chased in Men's T20 history, the second is now the second-biggest defeat by balls remaining. It extended a losing run that briefly threatened to derail yet another promising campaign - their fifth defeat in six games. But, just as Delhi got on the road, points returned in an equally dramatic fashion. Against a strong RR side, Delhi gunned down 226 with an over to spare - their highest successful IPL chase in 19 years.
DC might still be unsure of their best overseas combination - and by extension, their starting XI - but whatever unfortunate injury and concussion episodes have dictated lately, has helped them snap out of a losing streak with a morale-boosting victory. 'Was benching David Miller the best strategy' has no straightforward answer, as it allowed them to rejig their misfiring pace department with two foreigners and hand a comeback window to Pathum Nissanka, who has grabbed the chance with both hands. Mitchell Starc's addition has brought the much-needed bite to their new-ball attack, and with Lungi Ngidi's impending return, DC might just be very close to locking in their best combination just as the business end approaches.
CSK are in the same boat in more ways than one. For starters, both sides are tied at eight points each from their nine games, separated only by CSK's better NRR following their last win. In terms of injuries, CSK may have been the worst hit side. Stringing together victories has been a constant struggle for both teams. Both arrive in the national capital on back of comprehensive victories, but calling either "back in form" can be a bit generous. CSK and DC are both walking a tightrope with four more teams tied on 12 points above them in the standings. Although if numbers offer any solace ahead of their Tuesday away game, CSK have consistently prevailed over Delhi, and in Delhi.
DC's home record isn't the best lately. Since winning 4/5 in 2024, the Capitals have only two wins so far across the 2025 and 2026 seasons in nine completed games here. As they return home, the question lingers: which Delhi will show up? Much like the city's weather, their season has been anything but predictable. Unlike the summer though, DC can't afford any more slip-ups.
When: Tuesday, May 5 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
What to expect: A different track than the four previous games - pitch no. 4 - has been prepared, but should aid scoring. Average first innings total at the venue in wins has been 210 runs; the only aberration was DC's 75 all out. GT is the only team this season to defend a total here.
Head-to-head: CSK comfortably lead 20-12. Even in Delhi, the visitors have a strong 6-2 record. Since 2022, CSK have won four times to Delhi's two victories.
Teams Watch:
Delhi Capitals
Injuries & Availability: Lungi Ngidi is now available again after serving the seven-day stay-down period as mandated by the ICC concussion rule. Sahil Parakh is "still injured". The teenager's back injury prompted combination changes, including Nissanka's comeback and Miller's benching. DC will stick with this starting XI, as bowling coach Munaf Patel has all but ruled out a change at the top.
Matchups & Tactics: Although they've had their moments, CSK's opening partnership aggregate of 205 at an average of just 22.77 is the second-lowest among all the teams this season after KKR's. They haven't got the best of match-ups against the Delhi captain. Axar Patel has dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad (SR 140.35) thrice and Sanju Samson (SR 122.97) twice in T20s before, and might just be tempted to bowl himself in the Powerplay again in search of early wicket(s).
Probable XII: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel/Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan
Chennai Super Kings
Injuries & Availability: MS Dhoni hasn't travelled to Delhi as he continues his rehabilitation on the sidelines. CSK are yet to announce a replacement for the recently-injured Ramakrishna Ghosh.
Matchups & Tactics: KL Rahul's first-10 ball strike-rate has skyrocketed to 147.76, and he has already scored a 152* and a 92 at the venue this season. Pathum Nissanka too has struck form to go with his explosive batting style. Anshul Kamboj - who has enjoyed a fair bit of success vs RHB in Powerplays this edition (47 balls, 4 wickets, economy 8.29) would be CSK's best bet to make early inroads.
Probable XII: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh/Akash Madhwal
Did you know?
- 20 wins for CSK against DC is the second-most for them against a team after 21 wins against KKR and RCB.
- Delhi have lost three straight games at home - out of four so far. The only game they won was against MI.
- Capitals have dropped 16 catches so far, and their catching efficiency of 65.2% is the worst among the 10 teams.
What they said:
"I don't think one must link his runs to his captaincy. He's always been very clear around the leadership, and he's very much the leader of the team... He's had some tough innings, in the sense that we've been in trouble, the wicket's been tough, and he's battled through them. That's the hallmark of a really quality batsman, that just doesn't score runs on good wickets. To me, I've always called him a surgeon in this world of chaos batting. He's the kind of guy that gets 50 runs in 22 balls, and you haven't noticed him. We're starting to see that part of him again. The leadership has always been there, he's always been the captain. It's just good that he's now scoring runs, but there was never a doubt that he was going to." - CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons on Ruturaj Gaikwad finding his batting mojo back
"We made changes because Sahil was injured. Pathum came in as a replacement, and we will continue with that approach because he performed well. I don't think there is a need for further changes." - DC bowling coach Munaf Patel on benching David Miller
Squads:
Delhi Capitals Squad: KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, David Miller, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Auqib Nabi Dar, Rehan Ahmed, Tripurana Vijay, Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Prashant Veer, Shreyas Gopal, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Kartik Sharma, MS Dhoni, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Sarfaraz Khan, Matthew Short, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Akash Madhwal, Aman Khan, Gurjapneet Singh, Zakary Foulkes