KL Rahul’s captain’s knock and Mitchell Starc’s key breakthroughs help Delhi Capitals chase 226 to secure a dominant win over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.
Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul plays a shot during the Indian Premier League 2026 match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday, May 01, 2026. (Photo: IANS/Rajkumar)
The Delhi Capitals pulled off one of the most commanding chases of IPL 2026, defeating the Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets with five balls to spare in a high-scoring thriller at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Friday.
Chasing a daunting 226, DC rode on a blazing opening stand between Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul before finishing the job clinically through their middle order.
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Earlier, RR skipper Riyan Parag led from the front with a superb 90 off 50 balls, anchoring the innings after early jolts. The hosts were rocked in the opening overs as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fell cheaply, leaving RR struggling at 12/2.
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Parag stitched a crucial partnership with Dhruv Jurel (42 off 30) to rebuild the innings before shifting gears in the middle overs. At one stage, RR looked set for an even bigger total, reaching 166/3 in 16 overs with Parag nearing a century.
However, the return of Mitchell Starc proved decisive. The left-arm pacer struck at a crucial juncture, removing both Ravindra Jadeja and Parag in quick succession to halt RR’s surge. Starc finished with impressive figures of 3/40, marking a strong comeback.
A late onslaught from Donovan Ferreira (47* off 14) powered RR to a formidable 225/6.
In response, DC came out all guns blazing. Nissanka and Rahul tore into the RR attack during the powerplay, racing to 70/0 in six overs.
Nissanka was particularly destructive, bringing up a 23-ball fifty and dominating the likes of Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma. Rahul complemented him perfectly, mixing caution with aggression, including a towering six off Jofra Archer.
The duo added 110 runs in just 10 overs before Jadeja provided the breakthrough, trapping Nissanka LBW for 62 off 33.
Rahul continued to dictate terms, bringing up a fluent half-century and keeping DC firmly ahead of the required rate. Nitish Rana played a vital cameo, smashing 33 off 17 balls, including a punishing over against Jadeja.
Rahul eventually departed for 75 off 40 in the 16th over, with DC well placed at 184/3.
With 42 needed off the last four overs, DC showed composure. Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma handled the pressure brilliantly.
A crucial 17th over, yielding 16 runs off Tushar Deshpande, swung the game decisively in DC’s favour. The equation was reduced to just five runs in the final over, and the duo completed the chase comfortably on the first ball of the 20th over.
While the chase grabbed headlines, Starc’s late burst with the ball proved equally crucial in keeping RR within reach. His wickets of Jadeja and Parag shifted momentum at a key phase, ensuring DC were chasing a gettable total rather than an out-of-reach one.
Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel (c), Ashutosh Sharma, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan
Impact Subs: Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Vipraj Nigam, David Miller, Auqib Nabi
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi
Impact Subs: Tushar Deshpande, Yash Punja, Ravi Singh, Adam Milne, Dasun Shanaka
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