Fluent half-centuries from Abishek Porel and KL Rahul, combined with a quick late innings from Axar Patel, led Delhi Capitals to a five-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match in New Delhi on May 17, 2026.
Porel made 51 runs off 31 balls, hitting seven fours and a six, while Rahul contributed a steady 56 from 42 deliveries, including a four and three sixes. Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel finished the chase with an explosive 34 from 18 balls, striking two fours and two sixes.
Chasing a target of 194, Porel and Rahul gave Delhi Capitals a strong start with an aggressive opening partnership. They scored 14 runs in the first over and 13 in the second, applying early pressure on Rajasthan Royals’ bowlers.
Delhi Capitals reached 50 runs in four overs and finished the powerplay at 72 without loss. This was their highest score in the first six overs of IPL 2026 and only the third time in 13 innings this season that they remained wicketless during the powerplay, with two previous occasions also against Rajasthan Royals. This total also ranks as the second-highest powerplay score against Rajasthan Royals in IPL history, behind the 78 for 2 made in 2024.
The opening pair continued to attack the bowlers, taking Delhi Capitals past 100 runs by the 10th over. Abishek Porel was eventually dismissed for 51 by Brijesh Sharma, followed shortly by Sahil Parakh who was out for 9, bringing captain Axar Patel to the crease. Soon after, Dasun Shanaka dismissed KL Rahul for 56, with Tristan Stubbs arriving at the crease. The score was 151 for 3 after 16 overs, requiring 43 runs from 24 balls.
Tristan Stubbs was then dismissed by Jofra Archer for 4, and David Miller joined Patel at the crease. Miller and Patel scored 16 runs off Donovan Ferreira in the 18th over, leaving 19 runs from 12 balls. Miller was then dismissed by Brijesh Sharma for 9, with Ashutosh Sharma coming in. Sharma and Patel completed the victory in the final over with four balls remaining.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals’ bowling attack, spearheaded by Mitchell Starc’s four-wicket haul and supported by Lungi Ngidi and Madhav Tiwari’s two wickets each, restricted Rajasthan Royals to 193 for 8 in their 20 overs despite a strong start.
After winning the toss, Delhi Capitals elected to field in a crucial match for their playoff prospects. Rajasthan Royals lost an early wicket when Lungi Ngidi dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal for 12 runs in the third over, reducing them to 19 for 1 within two overs. Nevertheless, the Royals continued to score at pace.
Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi attacked the Delhi Capitals bowlers alongside Dhruv Jurel, together taking 16 runs off the third over. Jurel was dropped by KL Rahul while on four in the fourth over. Sooryavanshi further attacked in the fifth over, scoring 18 runs, taking Rajasthan Royals to 58 for 1 after five overs, with 75 for 1 at the end of the powerplay after Jurel hit three boundaries and a six off Mukesh Kumar.
Madhav Tiwari dismissed Sooryavanshi in the eighth over after he had made 46 runs from 21 balls, including five fours and three sixes. The Royals were 92 for 2 after eight overs.
Riyan Parag then played a significant part for Rajasthan Royals, hitting two sixes off Axar Patel in the 11th over and following up with three sixes and a four from Mukesh Kumar the next over, bringing the total to 140 for 2 after 12 overs. Parag scored a rapid half-century from 23 balls in the 14th over.
The momentum shifted in the next over when Mitchell Starc took three wickets in three balls, dismissing Parag for 51, Donovan Ferreira for a duck and Ravi Singh for 4, narrowly missing a hat-trick. After 15 overs, Rajasthan Royals were 166 for 5.
Madhav Tiwari further halted the Royals’ progress by removing Shubham Dubey for 5 in the 17th over. New batter Dasun Shanaka hit a six off Lungi Ngidi in the 18th over, with Rajasthan Royals reaching 182 for 6. Jurel completed his half-century off 36 balls, but Starc dismissed Shanaka for 10 in the penultimate over. Ngidi then took Jurel’s wicket for 53 runs off 40 balls in the final over, limiting the Royals to 193 for 8 at the end of the innings.
The Delhi Capitals bowling was led by Mitchell Starc’s figures of 4 for 40 from four overs. Lungi Ngidi and Madhav Tiwari each took two wickets while Axar Patel bowled economically, conceding 31 runs in his four overs.
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