IPL 2026: Axar Patel wins toss; DC to bat first against PBKS

Axar Patel (Pic: PTI)

Axar Patel won the toss and elected to bat first against the Punjab Kings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. DC are currently sixth in the table with 6 points, while PBKS are top of the table with 11 points in 6 matches.

Speaking after the toss, Axar Patel said that he will look to bat first. The DC skipper admitted that he wants to put a total on the board.

"We will bowl first. It looks a bit dry and obviously it's a day game, and you know it's quite hot as well. So we're thinking of putting up a good total first and then trying to defend it. (Do you think it will get quite slow later on?) Yes, from the looks of it, it seems like it will slow down a bit later, and the bowlers might get some help as well. So we want to post a good total first and give the bowlers a chance to make use of any assistance from the wicket. We want to focus on ourselves. We are playing the same team." Axar Patel said.

PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer said he wanted his team to continue its unbeaten run this season.

"It's important to stay in the moment, that's how you want the environment to be. I personally feel you just have to keep training harder and keep getting better every now and then, better than the previous performance. And that's what I keep telling my teammates as well. We need to inculcate right habits in the dressing room and culture that we've been building so far. And it has been, touch wood, going great. We just have to keep enjoying the game and have fun along with each other. I would love to bowl. And thankfully, I had a small discussion with Axar before the toss. He said that he's going to bat, so I was happy that we are going to bowl, and the toss was inconsequential. We are going with the same team." Shreyas Iyer said.

Confirmed Playing XI of both teams:

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh(w), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel(c), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar