DC vs PBKS Live Score, IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals opt to bat, no Mitchell Starc yet

Punjab Kings haven't changed their team either. 

Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact sub options: Nehal Wadhera, Suyansh Shedge, Vishnu Vinod, Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur

Delhi Capitals are going unchanged. Mitchell Starc has just arrived today and he is not available for selection yet, same goes with Rehan Ahmed, who arrived yesterday.

KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (capt), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar

Impact sub options: Vipraj Nigam, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi Dar

Axar Patel has won 7 tosses in a row and he has opted to bat for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings. The pitch is expected to slow down a bit under the scorching sun.

There will be no bad blood between the two teams with a lot of familiar faces. Shreyas Iyer made his name at Delhi Capitals before moving to Kolkata and then Punjab. PBKS coach Ricky Ponting was with Delhi for a long time. Priyansh Arya is a Delhi boy. David Miller played for PBKS, while DC's Ashutosh Sharma made his name with PBKS. KL Rahul led Punjab Kings and scored a tons of runs. And now, he plays for DC. 

Bhaichara 🔛 top! 💙❤️ (Till 3:30 pm 😎) pic.twitter.com/Tmbo3JEBFf

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 25, 2026

After missing six matches due to an injury, Mitchell Starc has arrived, and he will be in the dugout of the Delhi Capitals. But will he play today? Unlikely as he has come to India just today. 

Starcy is on his way home 💙🏟️ pic.twitter.com/oRiH0yIFsG

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 25, 2026

Delhi Capitals have one incoming flight from England, at least. Rehan Ahmed, who came in as a replacement for Ben Duckkett, has joined and not pulled out like his other two England teammates. 

New Tiger in the Capital 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/954OLpGNrH

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 25, 2026

Delhi, on the other hand, have started to come apart slightly. A 47-run defeat to SRH, with the bowling looking toothless in the absence of Mitchell Starc. The Australian has joined the camp but isn't expected to play, and Rehan Ahmed has come in for Ben Duckett. DC's batting concerns are real: KL Rahul, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi have all looked good in patches but never as a unit. Pathum Nissanka's flashy start hasn't translated into consistency.

DC need a comprehensive show from all their players as a unit to beat Punjab Kings. Else, their campaign will only go south. 

Punjab Kings are doing something we haven't seen from them in a long time, winning everything. Five wins from five completed matches, plus a point from a washout, have them on 11 points and an NRR of +1.420 at the top of the IPL 2026 Points Table. The batting has been the headline act. Cooper Connolly is averaging 56 with a strike rate of 164, Priyansh Arya has scored 211 runs with a strike rate of 248.23, Prabhsimran Singh has 211 runs at SR 172, and Shreyas Iyer is going at 183. 

Their 254/7 against LSG last week is the highest team total of IPL 2026 so far. There aren't many holes to point at.

Punjab Kings are unbeaten so far after 6 matches and they are on top with 11 points, including a no-result. Delhi Capitals are sixth with 6 points. 

In two matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in IPL 2026, there have been two sorts of games. In one, batters dominated and in the other, bowlers. It will depend on which pitch is in use for the DC vs PBKS clash. 

The venue is normally a batter's playground with short boundaries, a fast outfield, and true bounce. But in the two games played here this season, the pitch has shown more nuance than that. 

That said, the fundamentals haven't changed. It's still a high-scoring venue, and bowling first is still the preferred call. Batting under lights gets easier, and a side batting first will likely need to post 220 to feel safe. Daytime temperatures are expected to push 42°C in Delhi, which will make the toss-winning captain's life much easier if they're bowling first.

For PBKS, the spin angle is where this gets interesting. They've leaned heavily on Yuzvendra Chahal in big moments, and a wicket that's already gripped for Axar and Kuldeep should suit him just fine.

Few rivalries are this neatly balanced. Across 34 IPL meetings, Delhi Capitals have a slight edge over Punjab Kings with 18 wins, including a Super Over one in 2020. Punjab have won 16.

Like their overall head-to-head record, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals share the same fate at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Both teams have won six and lost six. 

• Matches Played: 34
• Delhi Capitals won: 18
• Punjab Kings won: 16