Picture Credit: BCCI
Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and chose to bowl first against Punjab Kings in the 55th match of IPL 2026 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala on Monday.
Punjab Kings entered the match aiming to secure a victory that could help them move to the top of the IPL points table. Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, made five changes to their playing XI.
Speaking after the toss, Axar Patel said, “We will bowl first. Things have been going well in terms of winning the toss. In matches, we have failed to capitalise on key moments; we haven’t played badly. We will play our brand of cricket and not worry about the result. Whether we win or lose, we will try to perform well. It is a fresh wicket, and the new ball could help a little, so we want them to bat first. We have made five changes. Porel, Sahil Parakh, David Miller, Madhav Tiwari and Aaqib Nabi come into the team.”
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer said, “You cannot say much about the pitch until you actually play on it. You have to go out there and perform. We do not want to think too much about the points table; we just need to focus on our abilities and awareness, which we haven’t done well in the last few matches. We did not trust our instincts and failed to handle pressure situations properly. Ups and downs are part of the game, and it all depends on how quickly you move on from them. Ben Dwarshuis comes in for Lockie Ferguson, who has picked up a slight injury.”
Punjab Kings currently occupy fourth place on the points table with six wins from 10 matches. After remaining unbeaten in their opening seven games, the side has, however, suffered three successive defeats and will look to bounce back in this fixture.
Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, have lost seven of their 11 matches this season. Even victories in their remaining fixtures may not guarantee a playoff berth for the side.
Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (captain), Madhav Tiwari, Mukesh Kumar, Aaqib Nabi Dar, Mitchell Starc and Lungi Ngidi.
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Suryansh Shedge, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal.
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