IPL 2026: KKR win the toss and elect to bowl first against DC

Ajinkya Rahane (Pic: AFP)

Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bowl first against the Delhi Capitals. KKR and DC are both unlikely to make the IPL playoffs.

After winning the toss, Rahane was happy to bowl first. The KKR skipper was happy with his team's comeback after a poor start this season.

"We will bowl first. It's pretty simple. We know the scenario depending on what's going to happen in the previous game, which is happening right now. But regardless of that, we don't know what the result will be. Also, the wicket looks really good. So yes, it's very simple. It's still a game of cricket to be played, and the last six games have been fantastic for us. We still want to compete and win this game. As I said, we don't know what's going to happen, but whenever you play a game of cricket, you always look to win. Really proud of the unit, especially because it's not easy to come back from the situation we were in. It takes courage, character, and attitude to bounce back as a team. IPL is a funny tournament with 24-25 players and support staff, maintaining that atmosphere, intensity and carrying it forward every time is fantastic. So yes, I'm really proud of each and every one. Same team." Rahane said.

Axar Patel admitted that he was looking to bowl first too. The DC captain said that his team is eager to finish the campaign with a win.

"I would have bowled first because, the way this tournament has gone, we've done well while chasing. So yes, looking at that, we would've bowled first. But it's not bad because the wicket looks good and even if we look ahead to next year, though that's still far away, if we bat first, our batsmen will get an opportunity to understand how to approach batting first as well. No, I don't think we should see it like a bad dream. Obviously, there's a lot of reflection and thought about what we could've done better or changed. But honestly, I don't think we played bad cricket. I'd say we were unfortunate at crucial moments, we dropped catches at key times. Cricket is like that, when opportunities come, if you don't grab them, you fall behind." Axar Patel said.

Confirmed Playing XI for both teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Manish Pandey, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya(w), Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Saurabh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kartik Tyagi

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Abishek Porel, KL Rahul(w), Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Nabi Dar, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi