Delhi Capitals started off their IPL 2026 campaign with a win away against the Lucknow Super Giants. DC chased LSG's total of 142 runs with 6 wickets in hand and 3 overs to spare.Sameer Rizvi starred with the bat for DC as he scored an unbeaten 70 runs of 47 balls to guide his team home. He was well supported by Tristian Stubbs, who scored 39 runs off 32 balls and helped DC recover from an early collapse.Speaking after the defeat, LSG captain Rishabh Pant admitted that his team fell short with the bat. The southpaw further added that he was happy with the team's fightback in the early overs with the ball in hand."When you score 140, you are not really going to put opposition under pressure, especially on a good wicket like this. But you know, one positive that, you know, boys fought hard, the way we bowled, especially the way we started, definitely some good signs going ahead in the season." Pant said.Talking about his batting position in the next matches, Pant remained coy on whether he will open the innings again. "I think it’s a 50-50 call, but we’ll see. But you will definitely see me in the top order," he added. LSG's next game is against SRH, while Delhi Capitals will face the Mumbai Indians. Axar Patel happy with Sameer Rizvi's performance DC skipper Axar Patel was delighted with his team's performance and praised his bowling unit for restricting the opponents to a low total. He further praised Sameer Rizvi for his match-winning knock and was impressed by the young star's shot selection in a crucial stage of the innings."It finished early but in the middle it had become close. We just needed one partnership, and that's what we spoke about in the break. Very happy with the bowling effort. The plan was to play Rizvi, but also have the option to Ashutosh Sharma. Last year Ashu did it in the first game and this time Rizvi. He works hard on his game and keeps asking how he can improve himself." Axar Patel said.
01 April,2026 11:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentDelhi Capitals started off their IPL 2026 campaign with a win away against the Lucknow Super Giants. The Axar Patel-led outfit survived an early scare before chasing LSG's total of 142 runs with 6 wickets in hand.Sameer Rizvi starred with the bat for DC as he scored an unbeaten 40 runs of 47 balls to guide his team home. He was well supported by Tristian Stubbs, who scored 39 runs off 32 balls and helped DC recover from an early collapse.Delhi Capitals lost early wickets in the power play while chasing LSG's total. KL Rahul departed on the first ball of the innings as he was caught on the boundary on Mohammed Shami's bowling. Wickets continued to tumble for Delhi as they lost Nitish Rana and Pathum Nissanka in quick succession. Nitish Rana was caught in the slips and was dismissed for 15 runs off 17 balls. Axar Patel came in at number 5 but was dismissed for a golden duck, getting clean bowled on the first ball he faced. Prince Yadav starred with the ball for LSG, taking 2 wickets in an over and putting LSG back in the game.At the end of the power play, LSG were 33 runs for the loss of 4 wickets with Tristian Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi at the crease. The duo stitched a partnership of over 100 runs and guided the visitors to an important victory in their first game of the season. DC restricted LSG to 141 runs in the first innings Having put to bat first, Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) opening batsman Mitchell Marsh scored 35 runs off 28 deliveries, including two boundaries and three maximums. Captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was dismissed on 7 runs. The LSG skipper was unfortunate to be run out and started his IPL 2026 campaign with a low score.Ayush Badoni was dismissed on a duck, while star batter Nicholas Pooran managed to score just 8 runs. Abdul Samad played a fighting knock of 36 runs in 25 balls to propel his team towards a competitive total of 141 runs.DC's Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan claimed 3 wickets each. Kuldeep Yadav also returned with the figures of 2 wickets for 31 runs in 4 overs. Skipper Axar Patel chipped in with 1 wicket.
01 April,2026 11:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentDelhi Capitals lost early wickets in the power play while chasing Lucknow Super Giants' total of 141 runs. KL Rahul departed on the first ball of the innings as he was caught on the boundary on Mohammed Shami's bowling.Wickets continued to tumble for Delhi as they lost Nitish Rana and Pathum Nissanka in quick succession. Nitish Rana was caught in the slips and was dismissed for 15 runs off 17 balls. Axar Patel came in at number 5 but was dismissed for a golden duck, getting clean bowled on the first ball he faced. Prince Yadav starred with the ball for LSG, taking 2 wickets in an over and putting LSG back in the game.At the end of the power play, LSG were 33 runs for the loss of 4 wickets with Tristian Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi at the crease. LSG will hope to chase down the total of 142 runs with South African big hitter David Miller still to come.Having put to bat first, Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) opening batsman Mitchell Marsh scored 35 runs off 28 deliveries, including two boundaries and three maximums. Captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was dismissed on 7 runs in 9 balls. The LSG skipper was unfortunate to be run out and started off his IPL 2026 campaign with a low score.Ayush Badoni was dismissed on a three-ball duck, while star batter Nicholas Pooran managed to score just 8 runs. Abdul Samad played a fighting knock of 36 runs in 25 balls to propel his team towards a competitive total of 141 runs.DC's Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan claimed 3 wickets each. Kuldeep Yadav also returned with the figures of 2 wickets for 31 runs in 4 overs. Skipper Axar Patel chipped in with 1 wicket. Confirmed Playing XI for both teams: Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohsin Khan, Mohammad Shami, Anrich Nortje, Prince Yadav.Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (WK), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar.
01 April,2026 10:53 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals (DC), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have posted a total of 80 runs for the loss of five wickets in 10 overs at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow. Having put to bat first, LSG's skipper Rishabh Pant opened the innings along with Mitchell Marsh. However, the decision to open did not favour the skipper for long, as he was dismissed unusually early. On the last ball of Mukesh Kumar’s over, Pant left his crease at the non-striker’s end but couldn’t complete the run, as the ball touched the bowler’s hand before hitting the stumps. Pant was declared run out, ending his innings of seven runs from nine balls, which included a boundary. Following the skipper's dismissal, Aiden Markram entered to bat, but was shown the pavilion path early in his innings. Facing eight balls, Markram scored 11 runs, with the help of a boundary and a maximum. Ayush Badoni also failed to put on a big knock as he was dismissed on a duck after facing three balls. Lucknow continued to witness the batting debacle as explosive batsman Nicholas Pooran also departed on eight runs in eight balls, including one boundary. Later, Marsh returned to the pavilion after registering 35 runs off 28 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and three maximums. Abdul Samad and M-Choudhary are unbeaten at the crease. Abdul has just faced one ball and is yet to score his first runs, whereas Choudhary has smashed two boundaries, which take him to nine runs in three balls. IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals' wicket-takers in the ongoing match Delhi's Lungi Ngidi, Axar Patel, T Natarajan, and Kuldeep Yadav managed to pick one wicket each. Mukesh Kumar will continue the hunt for his first wicket. He has bowled three overs and conceded 17 runs. In two overs, Ngidi was smashed for 18 runs, and Patel leaked 13 runs in the same number of overs. Natarajan and Kuldeep bowled one over each and conceded two and 22 runs, respectively. So far in the league, all four teams have managed to secure a victory in their home ground. It will be interesting to see if the Capitals manage to break the streak of home victories tonight.
01 April,2026 10:09 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFollowing a security procedure breach at a team hotel here, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued new guidelines to all PSL franchises, making it plain that any such infractions would not be accepted.According to credible sources, the PCB informed the franchises by mail that no player or official could meet with family members in the team hotel without first obtaining approval from the Board at least 24 hours in advance."The Board has made it clear that anyone wanting to meet with family members in the hotel has to seek permission 24 hours before the intended visit by family members," said the source who is close to the PCB.He said the Board had further clarified that it would try to arrange a suitable meeting point for the player with their family members in the team hotel."The Board has also made it clear that only a player's wife, parents, brother and sister are allowed inside the player's room, that too after getting clearance from the Board 24 hours in advance," the source added."The police officials conveyed to the Board that unless all franchises adhere strictly to the security protocols, it will be impossible for them to provide a safe and secure environment at the team hotel for all players and officials," the sources said.The security manager and anti-corruption head of the PCB is also learnt to have conveyed his concerns about the breach to the PSL CEO, Salman Naseer. Naseem Shah fined by PCB for a social media post After Naseem Shah posted a social media post criticising Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) fined him 20 million Pakistani rupees ($71,488) for violating several provisions of his central contract and social media standards.The fast bowler was disciplined for questioning Nawaz's attendance at the Pakistan Super League's opening match, which is being played behind closed doors as the nation struggles with a fuel crisis, in a now-deleted post on X.The PCB, led by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, gave Shah a show-cause notice before imposing what local media have described as the biggest financial penalty in Pakistani cricket history, which is roughly equal to eight months of Shah's central contract income.(With PTI Input)
01 April,2026 07:56 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Delhi Capitals' (DC) captain Axar Patel has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow. After winning the toss, DC's captain Axar said, "We will bowl first. First match, fresh wicket, it's a red solid wicket and might help in the first 6 overs. Data says a lot of matches are won by the team batting first, but we thought it's the first game and we will bowl. We started well last time, but we slipped in the middle, we're not thinking too far ahead. Nissanka, Miller, Stubbs and Lungi Ngidi, our four overseas players". Pathum Nissanka will be an interesting player to watch from the Capitals' dugout. Considering the likes of Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Nicholas Pooran, it will be interesting to see if these players manage to entertain the crowd with towering maximums. Additionally, so far in the league, all four teams have managed to secure a victory in their home ground. On the other hand, LSG's skipper Rishabh Pant said, "I think it doesn’t matter here on a wicket like this, you know. It’s always good to have what you want but at the same time there’s not much gonna change except for the coming game of view. I think it’s a completely new energy for sure. You know, we have changed our color, logo, and definitely the mindset. From the last year, what we had positive and working on the negative side of this stuff for sure. But at the same time feeling good. I think that’s the only thing I’m gonna say that I’m feeling good and ready to roll. See, definitely last season there were lots of concern about injuries and all, but at the same time, you know, as a cricketer and as a captain, you don’t dwell on that too much. But yes, we’re gonna like take learning from the last season, but I think the bowlers are really fit and ready again. You know, everyone is willing to go on the field and just make an impact. I think almost three overseas are the same, but Nortje is in, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran. Nicholas Pant, you know, we have changed his name to Nicholas Pant and Nortje for sure". IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals: Confirmed Playing XI Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohsin Khan, Mohammad Shami, Anrich Nortje, Prince Yadav. Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (WK), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar.
01 April,2026 07:25 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Gujarat Titans (GT), Punjab Kings (PBKS) emerged victorious by three wickets at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. Having put to bat first, Gujarat posted a total of 162 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Later during the run chase, Punjab scored 165 runs by losing seven wickets in 19.1 overs. In the second essay of the game, PBKS' Cooper Connolly delivered a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 72 runs off 44 deliveries, laced with five boundaries and the same number of maximums. Speaking about his debut, he said that legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting helped him stay calm before the match. He also said that the former cricketer told him to go and dominate against the opposition. "I woke up in the morning with a little bit of nerves, which I was really happy about, but yeah, I was really looking forward to getting out there and playing my part the best, I can. Ricky Ponting just kept me calm and collected. He told me to play my game, go out there and dominate. It was a nice team performance. We were very strong with the ball and made things easier for ourselves. It was a really good day for us," he said on JioHotstar. Further speaking about playing alongside Shreyas Iyer, the Australian hailed him as a "world class player". "I was looking forward to spending time out in the middle with Shreyas Iyer and just sort of picking his brains a little bit. He’s a world-class player. I’ve played a little bit of cricket with him for Australia A and Australia. He is a great player for a reason, and hopefully, I can learn as much as I can," said Connolly. Connolly also registered his name as the fifth-highest individual scorer on an IPL debut. PBKS will now clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 3 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. IPL 2026, Punjab Kings: Full Squad Marcus Stoinis, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shashank Singh, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shreyas Iyer, Ben Dwarshuis, Vishnu Vinod (WK), Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Harpreet Brar, Priyansh Arya, Suryansh Shedge, Cooper Conolly, Mitchell Owen, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Vishal Nishad.
01 April,2026 05:16 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the schedule of the senior men's away T20I series in July. Team India is all set to lock horns with Zimbabwe for three T20I matches at the Harare Sports Club in Harare, Zimbabwe. The last time the "Men in Blue" travelled to Zimbabwe was in 2024, where they played five T20I matches. The first match will be played on July 23, followed by the second and third T20I matches on July 25 and 26, respectively. The BCCI also stated that Zimbabwe will be touring India for three ODI matches in January 2027. However, the dates are yet to be announced by the boards, but the venues for the three-match ODI series will be Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, respectively. The most recent clash between the two teams was played during the concluded T20 World Cup 2026. The "Men in Blue" defeated Zimbabwe by 72 runs in Chennai after setting up a total of 256 runs for the loss of four wickets. "Matches against India always generate enormous interest, and this is a fantastic opportunity for our players to test themselves against the world champions on home soil," said Givemore Makoni, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, who is the managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket. "It is a landmark moment for Zimbabwe to be touring India again for a bilateral ODI series after more than two decades. India is one of the premier destinations in world cricket, and this tour represents both an honour and a valuable opportunity for our players. We are looking forward to competitive and high-quality cricket, and we believe this engagement will further strengthen the relationship between the two cricketing nations while providing invaluable exposure for our team," he added. Currently, several players are busy featuring in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Yesterday, the Gujarat Titans (GT) suffered a loss against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by three wickets at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. The upcoming clash is set to be played between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow. (With ANI Inputs)
01 April,2026 04:41 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentPunjab Kings survived a scare to defeat the Gujarat Titans by 3 wickets. The Shreyas Iyer-led team was cruising at the halfway mark before losing four wickets in three overs. However, debutant Cooper Connolly scored an unbeaten 72 to guide the hosts home.Punjab Kings started off strongly while chasing the Gujarat Titans' total of 163 runs. Opener Prabhsimran Singh scored 20 runs off 12 balls, while Australian Cooper Connolly scored 27 runs off 16 balls to put the team in a strong position at the end of the Powerplay.After Prabhsimran Singh's dismissal, Captain Shreyas Iyer too departed soon after Prasidh Krishna was brought into the attack. PBKS collapsed from 110-2 to 118-6 as the Gujarat Titans mounted an unlikely comeback in the game.Connolly, who was promoted to number 3, continued the momentum of the innings and attacked the GT bowlers. The Aussie scored his maiden half-century and was PBKS' best player with the bat. The southpaw scored 72 runs on his IPL debut.Prasidh Krishna, brought in as an impact sub, single-handedly brought GT back in the game. The Indian pacer took the wickets of Iyer, Shashank Singh, and Marcus Stoinis in his opening 2 overs to give GT hope.However, PBKS batters held their nerves to win the match with 3 wickets in hand and get the first win of the season in their first match. Gujarat Titans' score 162 in the first innings Having been put to bat first, GT posted a total of 162 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Skipper Shubman Gill made 39 runs off 27 deliveries, laced with six boundaries.Jos Buttler made 38 runs, while Glenn Phillips smashed 25 runs. Later, Washington Sundar departed after scoring 18 runs in 16 balls, including two boundaries.PBKS's Vijaykumar Vyshak returned with the figures of three wickets for 34 runs in four overs. Yuzvendra Chahal bagged two wickets by conceding 28 runs in four overs. PBKS were the defending champions last year and will hope to go one better this year. Shreyas Iyer was injured during the second innings of the match and hopes to be available for the next match.
01 April,2026 04:36 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn the IPL 2026 match against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Gujarat Titans (GT) suffered a loss by three wickets at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh. Following the loss, GT's assistant coach Parthiv Patel feels that due to the rain, the ball was coming on the bat nicely in the second innings of the match. He also said that had everything gone their way, the Titans would have secured a win. "The match went to the 20th over. A wicket here or there, and maybe even 160 runs wouldn't have been chased. Due to the rain, the dry pitch started to play better. The ball was skidding and coming onto the bat nicely, and the outfield also became a bit wet. If everything had gone our way, maybe we could have won this match," he said in the post-match conference. "As I said, the Punjab bowlers, the way they bowled in the final overs, PBKS bowled cleverly towards the end," added Patel. When asked about the competitive first innings total in the format, the assistant coach said that it depends on the conditions, which in turn make a huge difference. "Whichever match gives us two points, we would prefer that. It doesn't matter whether it's a 200-game or a 140 chasing-down game. Yeah, obviously, there was a contest here without a doubt, a 160-game contest. But it depends, the conditions make a big difference in this T20 format," he said. He then cited the example of Team India's batting display during the concluded T20 World Cup 2026. "Even in the World Cup, we saw India could not chase down 180 against South Africa and then the flat wicket came and India scored 250 in the final. So, the condition makes a big difference. There is no doubt about it. And as long as everyone's entertained and as long as we're on the winning side, it doesn't matter much," said the 41-year-old former cricketer. GT will now lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their upcoming fixture on April 4 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. IPL 2026, Gujarat Titans: Full Squad Ishant Sharma, Jos Buttler (WK), Jason Holder, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Tewatia, Luke Wood, Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, Shubman Gill (C), Tom Banton (WK), Yarra Raj, Anuj Rawat, Sai Sudharsan, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Arshad Khan, Nishant Sandhu, Gurnoor Brar, Ashok Sharma. (With ANI Inputs)
01 April,2026 03:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentGujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill said his side's failure to capitalise in the final five overs while batting proved decisive, as Punjab Kings outplayed them in their Indian Premier League opener here on Tuesday. Gill's side, despite boasting a formidable batting line-up featuring Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan and Glenn Phillips, could not capitalise on a fairly good batting surface, managing only 162 for 6, and the skipper later admitted that a total in the range of 210-220 was achievable on the wicket. Punjab Kings' Cooper Connolly made batting look effortless on the same surface, producing a fluent 72. "It looked like a 210-220 wicket. We thought 175 would be a good score, but we kept losing wickets and didn't score much in the last five overs," conceded Gill after the three-wicket loss. "Once the ball got older, it was difficult to hit it down the ground," he added. Gill said that batting became easier later on, as a drizzle set in and the wet ball made it easier for the home side. "In the second innings, rain continued, making the ball wet, which slightly improved batting conditions. So I don't think it (ball) stopped as much in the second innings. But nonetheless, I think we did a decent job...all ifs and buts." "Hard luck and it wasn't the game for us, but I think we did decently well. It's just, you know, keep getting better and keep adding more intensity and keep giving your best." Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer said he was impressed by young batter Connolly's calm and composed approach. "Some of the shots he (Connolly) played were surreal to watch, especially the one off Rashid (Khan)... I was focused on my hand inside, icing it, suddenly we lost two wickets back to back, these things happen in the IPL, you have to stay composed. "Cooper was there, he was composed and calm...," added Iyer. Connolly, who was declared player of the match, said he really enjoyed the batting. "I was looking forward to the experience of playing with some world-class players, but to put that performance in tonight, very happy. I'm just more of a tempo player, feel the flow of my hands, don't hit too many big sixes. "We were quite relaxed, in a great position out there, nice to get the win." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
01 April,2026 11:10 AM IST | Mullanpur | PTIADVERTISEMENT
-1775067422599_d.png?tr=w-436,h-271 "Rishabh Pant (Pic: AFP)")
