KKR vs DC, IPL 2026: Delhi win last league match by 40 runs

Slower one from Ngidi and Varun is the last man to depart. DC have won the final league match, and must be very satisfying as they end their campaign on 14 points. 6th position for DC and 7th for KKR.

What an over here by Starc. First ball Rovman Powell is run out. The second delivery Anukul Roy is clean bowled and on the fourth Kartik Tyagi is caught out by Axar Patel.

Ngidi comes back into the attack now. A wicket here will end the hopes for KKR. But somehow two boundaries come here and the match is only getting tense.

What is even happening here. 1 run scored and KKR have lost three. Tejasvi Dahiya misses a straight one from Axar and he is clean bowled.

Tossed up on the legs, Rahane takes the aerial rounter, but Miller takes a simple catch at the boundary. The skipper departs for 63 from 39. And two in two for the bowler. Rinku falls on the very first ball. And looks like Porel has dropped a catch on the hattrick ball.

Delhi are staring at a defeat in their very last match of the season. Even though there isn't any context to this encounter, still this one can be treated as a building block for the next year.

Rahane has been exceptional in this encounter, and get to his 50. But the job is still not done. An expensive over from Kuldeep comes to an end. Delhi in need for wickets.

KKR are losing wickets in a cluster here as Kuldeep removes Cam Green for 2. He is caught out by David Miller. And a bit of injury concern here. Needs some medical attention.

Ngidi has shown a knack to pick up wickets and he has sent Pandey packing. The ball is in the slot to be hit, goes from the middle of the bat, but Starc takes an excellent catch at long on.

Three sixes have come in Axar over. His poor form is continuing in the season. All these India players are perhaps mentally fatigued, which is showing in their performances. Another over ends.

This all-rounder has shown that he can succeed at this level. Hopefully, he can get a few wickets for DC. 9 runs come from his opening over.

A slowish ball by Ngidi and Allen tries to hit a hard shot. He chops one on to the stumps and is bowled. Manish Pandey has come in now.

Nabi has just be unlucky this entire season to not get a wicket. And that has continued so far. Hopefully he gets one today. Two back-to-back sixes in the over.

Allen welcomes Starc with a six and a four and Delhi look settled for now. The pitch is slow, but manageable. DC just need not be in any hurry.

Nabi comes into the attack, and there is a shout for an lbw against Rahane. But the bowler isn't interested. Axar still goes for the review, and there is nothing. An excellent over comes to an end.

It is a golden chance for DC to end the proceedings well. The bowling has been rather ordinary, and Starc also needs to be at his very best. Finn Allen gets a boundary on the first ball. 5 runs come from the over.

Tejasvi Dahiya drops his second catch as Ashutosh Sharma survives on the last ball and takes a single. With that, Delhi Capitals end their innings with 203/5, their highest total in Kolkata. KL Rahul was the architect with 60 off 30, while Axar Patel (39 off 25) and David Miller (28 off 19) helped DC post a good total.

With two balls to go, David Miller departs, trying to hit Saurabh Dubey on a low full toss. He mistimed and gave away an easy catch to Finn Allen.

Delhi Capitals have moved to 187/4 with 20 runs coming off the 18th and 19th overs combined. With David Miller and Ashutosh Sharma on crease, DC will hope to get to 200.

Delhi Capitals lose their captain, Axar Patel, for 39 off 25. He tries to take on Varun Chakaravarthy, but he only managed to hit the ball with the toe end of the bat, and as a result, did not get the elevation. Rinku Singh made no mistake this time to take the catch. DC 167/4 in 17 overs.

With death overs beginning, David Miller and Axar Patel will play crucial roles. Both Axar and Miller have to take the charge. Axar is currently striking at 125.00, while Miller is hitting at 118.18.

Another excellent season for KL Rahul. He finishes IPL 2026 with 593 runs. 

• 593 runs in IPL 2026
• 539 runs in IPL 2025
• 520 runs in IPL 2024
• 616 runs in IPL 2022
• 626 runs in IPL 2021
• 670 runs in IPL 2020
• 593 runs in IPL 2019
• 659 runs in IPL 2018

Anukul Roy strikes and he has got the big wicket of KL Rahul. Anukul bowled wide of off-stump and KL Rahul tried to play that on the leg side but did not reach the delivery well. As a result, he mistimed and gave away a catch to Rovman Powell for a 30-ball 60. DC are 3 down for 125.

KL Rahul brings up his 5th half-century of IPL 2026 and he gets to that milestone off 25 balls. He has single-handedly carried Delhi's batting this season.

A soft dismissal for Delhi Capitals as Sahil Parakh departs for 24 off 17. He fails to read Sunil Narine's delivery and as he tried to change the shot at the last moment, he gave away an easy catch to Ajinkya Rahane. DC are 2 down for 87.

KL Rahul has targeted Sunil Narine in this over, smashing a six and a four to score 31 off 19. Narine has conceded 25 runs in his first two overs.

Two dropped catches, one wicket and 53 runs, the powerplay had many layers. Delhi Capitals manage 53/1 in the powerplay with Abhishek Porel departing for 22. KL Rahul and Sahil Parakh are on the crease.

Tejasvi Dahiya makes amends to his catch drop just an over ago. He takes the catch successfully as Abhishek Porel pokes a Saurabh Dubey delivery to Dahiya. Porel departs for 22 off 18 and the 40-run opening stand is broken.

Even if KKR win today, they will only have 15 points. Thus, RR sealed the last spot. 

Team	P	W	L	NR	PTS	NRR
RCB	14	9	5	0	18	0.783
GT	14	9	5	0	18	0.695
SRH	14	9	5	0	18	0.524
RR	14	8	6	0	16	0.189
PBKS	14	7	6	1	15	0.309
KKR	13	6	6	1	13	0.011
CSK	14	6	8	0	12	-0.345
DC	13	6	7	0	12	-0.871
MI	14	4	10	0	8	-0.584
LSG	14	4	10	0	8	-0.74

With Rajasthan Royals beating Mumbai Indians in the first match of the day by 30 runs, they have sealed the last spot in the playoffs. And that means both Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings are knocked out. 

IPL 2026 Playoffs

• Qualifier 1 on May 26: RCB vs GT
• Eliminator on May 27: SRH vs RR

Abhishek Porel begins with two boundaries in the first over of Anukul Roy. KKR's pace options are limited to Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Dubey and Cameron Green.

As the MI vs RR match is still underway, Kolkata Knight Riders are unaware of their fate. Meanwhile, KL Rahul and Abhishek Porel open for Delhi and they will look for a solid start.

Delhi Capitals have made two changes with Kuldeep Yadav replacing Tripurana Vijay and Auqib Nabi replacing Mukesh Kumar. Kuldeep is likely to come in as an Impact Sub.

Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (capt), Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi.

Impact sub options: Finn Allen, Sarthak Ranjan, Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Tripathi

Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Tejasvi Dahiya, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakravarthy, Saurabh Dubey, Kartik Tyagi.

Impact sub options: Finn Allen, Ranjan, Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Tripathi.

KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane wins the toss and opts to bowl first against Delhi Capitals. Kolkata are going unchanged for this game. Delhi have brought back Kuldeep Yadav and Auqib Nabi.

Delhi Capitals will play for pride ahead of a potential reshuffle in leadership and coaching staff next season. They are out of the playoff race after PBKS’ win over LSG last night. KL Rahul has played a lone hand at the top and the middle order collapsing around him. 

To finish the campaign on a high, DC need a win. But the match also offers a chance to test their bench strength with players who haven’t been utilised enough. That could also mean, resting some of the top players, including captain Axar Patel himself. 

Ajinkya Rahane's side arrives at their home ground with 13 points from as many games. Manish Pandey’s fighting 45 helped KKR win against MI in a low-scoring thriller, days after a high-scoring match against GT.

Cameron Green has been one of the positives of their second half, while Sunil Narine has been their MVP throughout. Varun Chakravarthy, fitness permitting, gives them a spin combination that works on this surface. KKR will be without Matheesha Pathiarana again as he has been ruled out of the match. The problem is that winning tonight isn't enough on its own. KKR need to win and need Rajasthan Royals to lose. Both things have to happen. 

With the pitch expected to be the same sluggish strip with some help for spinners, winning the toss and chasing would be ideal. Eden Gardens has been a chasing ground, with 55% of teams chasing wins. That's the reason 66% of the captains opt to bowl first. And it won't be any different today. However, if it's a slow pitch, KKR might be out even before the match begins, even if RR lose to MI.

By the time KKR take the field, they would know about their fate. It all depends on Rajasthan Royals. If RR win against Mumbai Indians, KKR and PBKS will be knocked out. RR will take the fourth spot in the playoffs. 

But if MI beat RR, KKR will have all to play for. A win will help them score 15 points, tied with PBKS. But it won’t be enough. PBKS have an NRR of 0.309. KKR are at 0.011. To surpass PBKS’ NRR, Kolkata must win and follow these logics:

• Batting first: Score 200 or more, win by 77 runs
• Batting second: Chase the target down in 12.4 overs to surpass PBKS’ net run rate

With the MI vs RR match underway, the current Points Table looks like this. 

Eden Gardens has been one of the better batting venues of IPL 2026, and the numbers back that up. The average first-innings score at this venue this season sits at 202. Anything under 190 tends to get chased down without too much trouble. The pitch offers true bounce and good carry throughout, and the fast outfield means even mishits travel. 

Pace bowlers can find a touch of swing in the first three overs, but the ball tends to lose its hardness quickly, and spinners take over as the game progresses. Narine and Chakravarthy in the middle overs on a wearing surface is a significant advantage for KKR.

Dew is the other factor. Evening games at Eden Gardens in May bring heavy moisture by around the 12th over of the second innings. Bowlers lose grip, slower balls stop working, and batting becomes considerably easier. The toss winner will bowl first. Both captains know this.

Barring Match 28 and 65, Eden Gardens has served up batting-friendly pitches. But considering KKR must win, they could get a bowling-friendly pitch where the average first innings score is just 151. On this strip, KKR had two successful chases, against RR and MI.

KKR have a strong overall record in this fixture, and their home form against DC in particular has been reliable. The earlier meeting this season was one-sided. DC were bowled out for 142 and KKR chased it in the 16th over. Delhi will want a very different kind of game tonight, and they need a very different kind of result.