Delhi Capitals (DC) edged past Rajasthan Royals (RR) by five wickets in the 62nd match of IPL 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Rajasthan Royals were invited to bat first by Delhi Capitals and posted 193/8 in 20 overs. Lungi Ngidi (2/24 in 4 overs) gave an early breakthrough when he dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second over.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued the attack and added a quickfire 70-run partnership with Dhruv Jurel for the second wicket. Sooryavanshi scored a blazing 46 runs off 21 balls. Jurel and Riyan Parag then stitched another rapid 72-run stand for the third wicket. Rajasthan Royals were cruising at 161/2 in the 15th over when Mitchell Starc (4/40 in 4 overs) turned the game around by dismissing Parag, Donovan Ferreira, and Ravi Singh in the same over.
Starc’s brilliant spell slowed the innings down, and Rajasthan Royals managed only 28 runs in the last five overs while losing three more wickets. While chasing, KL Rahul and Abishek Porel gave Delhi Capitals a flying start. They added 105 runs for the first wicket by the halfway stage of the innings.
Delhi Capitals lost a few wickets during the chase, but an unbeaten 34 off 18 balls from Axar Patel and a quick cameo from Ashutosh Sharma helped the team chase down the target comfortably with four balls remaining. Jofra Archer (2/35 in 4 overs) was the most successful bowler for Rajasthan Royals, while Brijesh Sharma also picked up two wickets.
With this victory, Delhi Capitals kept their playoff hopes alive. Both Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals now have 12 points. Rajasthan Royals still have two matches left to play, while Delhi Capitals will face Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, May 24.
Sooryavanshi Gives Royals Flying Start
RR started aggressively after DC chose to bowl first. Yashasvi Jaiswal attacked Starc immediately and struck three boundaries in the opening over. From the other end, Sooryavanshi announced himself with a first-ball six against Lungi Ngidi.
Ngidi soon dismissed Jaiswal with a slower delivery, but Sooryavanshi continued his fearless batting. He targeted debutant spinner T Vijay and smashed him for three fours and a six in one over. Dhruv Jurel also joined the attack and hammered Mukesh Kumar for 4, 6, 4 in consecutive deliveries. RR raced to 75 for 1 in the powerplay.
Riyan Parag Smashes Fastest IPL Fifty
Sooryavanshi finally departed after scoring 46 off just 21 balls. He got caught at long-on off Madhav Tiwari. However, Parag ensured RR maintained the momentum. He attacked Axar for two sixes and later destroyed Mukesh Kumar in a 23-run over with a sequence of 6, 4, 6, 6.
RR reached 140 for 2 after 12 overs. Soon after, Parag completed his fifty in only 23 balls, the fastest IPL half-century of his career.
Starc Turns the Match Around
With RR looking ready for 220 or more, Axar brought Starc back into the attack in the 15th over. The move completely changed the game. Starc first dismissed Parag with a slower ball. He then removed Donovan Ferreira on the very next delivery as another catch went to long-on.
Ravi Singh survived the hat-trick ball after hitting a full toss for four, but Starc trapped him lbw with another slower delivery one ball later. Tiwari later dismissed Shubham Dubey before RR introduced Dasun Shanaka as their Impact Player. Starc removed Shanaka too with a low full toss caught at long-off.
Despite Jurel’s steady 53 off 40 balls, RR lost momentum badly. They managed only 33 runs in the last six overs and finished on 193 for 8. Starc ended with outstanding figures of 4 for 40, while Ngidi and Tiwari picked up two wickets each.
DC Make Strong Start in Chase
DC nearly lost Rahul in the opening over when Jofra Archer forced a catch toward short fine leg. However, Yash Raj Punja dropped the opportunity. After that moment, Rahul and Porel took control. Porel played aggressively and attacked the RR bowlers regularly. DC reached 72 without loss in the powerplay, their best powerplay score of the season.
The pair added runs quickly early on, and DC moved to 85 for no loss after seven overs.
RR Fight Back in Middle Overs
RR slowed the innings down during the middle phase. Punja bowled a tight spell and started the slowdown with a four-run over. DC failed to hit a boundary in that over.
Porel reached his fifty in 29 balls but fell soon after while trying to attack Brijesh Sharma. Rahul also got out after scoring 56 off 42 balls when Shanaka dismissed him. After 14 overs, DC were 130 for 2 and still needed 64 runs from the final six overs.
Axar and Ashutosh Finish the Job
Archer gave RR fresh hope in the 17th over after dismissing Tristan Stubbs and conceding only eight runs. DC then needed 35 from the final three overs. Parag surprisingly chose Ferreira’s offspin instead of Shanaka’s medium pace in the 18th over. The decision backfired badly.
Axar and David Miller both smashed sixes in a 16-run over that shifted the momentum back toward DC. Brijesh removed Miller in the 19th over, but Ashutosh responded immediately with a six over deep midwicket. DC needed seven runs from the last over. Ashutosh calmly finished the chase by hitting a four and a six to seal an important victory.
Delhi Capitals kept their IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive after defeating Rajasthan Royals by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Chasing 194, DC received strong contributions from Abishek Porel and KL Rahul, both of whom scored half-centuries. Although the innings slowed down in the middle overs, captain Axar Patel and Ashutosh Sharma guided the team home with four balls remaining.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals looked set for a much bigger total after explosive knocks from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Riyan Parag. However, Mitchell Starc changed the game with a brilliant spell late in the innings. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!