Delhi Capitals (DC) edged past Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets with one ball to spare in the thrilling 26th match of IPL 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
After being asked to bat first, RCB scored 175/8 in 20 overs. Phil Salt played a superb, blazing knock of 63 runs off 38 balls. Tim David, Virat Kohli, and Devdutt Padikkal contributed useful runs, helping RCB reach the 175-run mark. Axar Patel (2/18 in 3 overs) was the most successful bowler for Delhi Capitals, while Kuldeep Yadav and Lungi Ngidi also picked up two wickets each.
In the chase, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/26 in 4 overs) gave early breakthroughs to Delhi Capitals. KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs then added 69 runs for the fourth wicket. After Rahul’s dismissal, Axar Patel came in to bat but had to retire hurt on 26.
David Miller then joined Tristan Stubbs and found himself in a similar situation to the previous match. This time, he finished the game in style, hitting two sixes followed by a boundary on the third, fourth, and fifth balls of the final over. With this win, Delhi Capitals are back on the winning track.
Kohli and Salt give RCB a brisk start
RCB started well after being asked to bat first. Virat Kohli and Phil Salt attacked early despite the pitch being slower than usual.
Kohli survived an early edge and then played aggressively. He stepped out twice against Mukesh Kumar and hit two boundaries over cover. However, his innings ended during the final over of the powerplay. Lungi Ngidi bowled wide outside off, and Kohli was caught at sweeper cover for 19 off 13 balls.
Salt began slowly, scoring 13 off his first 13 balls. He then shifted gears by attacking Auqib Nabi with a sequence of 4, 6, 4. Later, he reached his fifty in 30 balls. Salt continued his assault on Kuldeep Yadav but eventually fell for 63 off 38 balls when he mistimed a shot on the slower surface.
Spinners pull RCB back
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel tightened the grip on RCB in the middle overs. Their disciplined bowling reduced the scoring rate significantly.
Axar dismissed Devdutt Padikkal, who was caught at long-on. Tim David tried to counterattack and scored 26 off 15 balls, including a powerful six. However, Axar dismissed him with a clever delivery that induced an edge.
Rajat Patidar fell cheaply, and Shepherd also failed with the bat. Kuldeep trapped him lbw. RCB struggled badly during this phase, going 25 balls without a boundary.
Jitesh Sharma finally broke the drought in the 18th over, though he got lucky as the ball slipped past Mukesh Kumar. RCB managed only two boundaries in the last six overs and failed to hit any in the final two overs. Former captain Faf du Plessis later felt the team was about 10 runs short.
Bhuvneshwar rattles DC early
Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave RCB a dream start while defending the total. He bowled with precision and swing, using two slips effectively.
He first dismissed Nissanka with an inswinger. Then, in his next over, he removed Karun Nair and Sameer Rizvi in quick succession. Rizvi’s dismissal featured a brilliant one-handed catch by Jitesh Sharma.
DC were reduced to 18 for 3 inside three overs, putting them under early pressure.
Rahul and Stubbs rebuild innings
KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs steadied the innings with a strong partnership. By the end of the powerplay, DC had reached 50 for 3.
Rahul played confidently and attacked Josh Hazlewood, scoring 22 runs off just 10 balls from him. He also handled spin well before falling for 57 off 34 balls to Krunal Pandya.
Stubbs started slowly but gained momentum later. He struck boundaries against Rasikh Salam and built a 47-run partnership with Axar Patel. Axar contributed 26 runs before retiring hurt.
Match heads to final over drama
DC needed 42 runs from the last 25 balls. RCB bowlers tightened their lines, especially Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar, who used yorkers effectively.
Stubbs hit a crucial six in the 18th over, but RCB still maintained pressure. Bhuvneshwar conceded just 12 runs in that over, and Rasikh followed with a disciplined penultimate over, giving away only 10 runs.
This left DC needing 14 runs in the final over.
Miller seals the deal
Rajat Patidar handed the ball to Romario Shepherd for the final over. However, Shepherd struggled to execute his yorkers under pressure.
Miller took full advantage. He hit a full toss for a six over midwicket. Then he smashed another delivery over extra cover for six. Finally, he finished the match with a flicked four to the boundary.
With this brilliant finish, Miller completed his redemption and secured a memorable win for DC.
Both teams played well. Phil Salt, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, and KL Rahul did their jobs well, but the main focus became David Miller, who found himself in the same situation as in the last match. This time, he turned the game around when it mattered most. Just ten days after a costly mistake against Gujarat Titans, he faced a similar scenario again. This time, he delivered.
Delhi Capitals needed 15 runs from the final over. Romario Shepherd, who had not bowled earlier in the match, took responsibility. Miller missed the first ball, which resulted in just one run. Tristan Stubbs also managed only a single on the next delivery, leaving DC needing 13 runs from four balls.
Miller then stepped up under pressure. He smashed two sixes followed by a four to finish the match with one ball remaining. His powerful hitting stunned the Chinnaswamy crowd and handed Royal Challengers Bengaluru their second loss of the season and first at home. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!