PBKS vs DC, IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals stay in playoff race, Punjab Kings suffer 4th consecutive loss

Punjab Kings retained their 4th spot but they are now in danger as other teams are also in the race. Delhi Capitals moved up to 7th but they are only in contention mathematically. 

Team	P	W	L	NR	PTS	NRR
RCB	11	7	4	0	14	1.103
SRH	11	7	4	0	14	0.737
GT	11	7	4	0	14	0.228
PBKS	11	6	4	1	13	0.428
CSK	11	6	5	0	12	0.185
RR	11	6	5	0	12	0.082
DC	12	5	7	0	10	-0.993
KKR	10	4	5	1	9	-0.169
MI	11	3	8	0	6	-0.585
LSG	11	3	8	0	6	-0.907

Yash Thakur commits the cardinal sin of bowling a waist height no-ball and Auqib Nabi hit that for a 4. On the next delivery, Nabi hit him for a six to complete the highest successful run chase at this venue. The win helps Delhi remain in the hunt for a playoff spot, only just. And Punjab Kings lose 4 matches in a row.

Ashutosh Sharma hits Yash Thakur for a six and then departs on the next ball. But despite that, Delhi are cruising with 6 needed off 7 balls. Ashutosh falls for 24 off 10.

Despite losing wickets, Delhi Capitals are on track to chase down the 211-run target. Runs have kept flowing with 17 runs coming from Dwarshuis's over. Ashutosh Sharma is also on the charge as he takes on Marcus Stoinis for a four and six. DC score 19 runs off the 18th over and they need just 17 off the last 12

David Miller just hit a fifty but he was on the charge and as he tried to go after Dwarshuis again, he top-edged. The ball safely landed into Prabhsimran Singh's gloves after going high in the sky. Delhi need 41 off 21.

David Miller keeps Delhi Capitals in the hunt as he brings up his half-century off 27 balls, hitting two sixes against Ben Dwarshuis.

So, it comes down to the last five overs. Delhi Capitals need another 68 runs to stay in the hunt for the playoffs, only just. If they lose today, they are out. David Miller and Ashutosh Sharma are on the crease and DC need those runs at 13.6 runs per over.

A big, big blow for Delhi Capitals as Axar Patel departs. He was hitting well and just completed his half-century. But as he tries to take on Marcus Stoinis again after hitting him for three consecutive boundaries, he skies a chance for Marco Jansen. Axar falls for 56 off 30.

No celebration for Axar Patel as he brings up his first half-century of IPL 2026. Before this innings, he averaged 6.28 in 8 innings. Today, he breaks the shackles.

Axar Patel is back in form and he has taken charge of the chase with David Miller, who is also hitting the balls nicely. The partnership is now worth 50 runs as Delhi Capitals are pulling things back. They have a chance here with Ashutosh Sharma and Madhav Tiwari still to come. After 13 overs, DC are 124/4 with 87 runs needed off the last seven.

Halfway through the chase and Delhi Capitals score 87/4 with Axar Patel smashing 32 off 17. David Miller has joined him on the crease. DC need another 124 runs off the last 10 overs at 12.4 runs per over.

Suryansh Shedge joins the list as he drops a rather simple catch to give Axar Patel a lifeline. Ben Dwarshuis has now been denied two wickets. Axar flicked a full delivery to square leg and Suryansh did all the running to get under the ball but could not hold on to it.

Luck runs out for Tristan Stubbs as he is run out after a direct hit by Cooper Connolly. There was no communication between Stubbs and Axar and as the South African tried to get back to the crease, he was too late. Stubbs falls for 12. With that, the 41-run stand is also broken and Delhi are heading towards exit. DC are 74/4.

The trend of dropping catches continues as Arshdeep Singh drops a dolly to deny Ben Dwarshuis a wicket on IPL debut. Tristan Stubbs tried to loft it over the long on but failed to time it. Arshdeep missed the simplest of the catch.

Three wickets down, KL Rahul gone and so are two youngsters in the powerplay. With just 47/3 on the board, Delhi are way behind Punjab at the moment. PBKS scored 72/0. Tristan Stubbs has dropped the anchor and he has out-of-form Axar Patel with him.

Delhi Capitals lose another wicket as Sahil Parakh pokes an Arshdeep Singh delivery to Yuzvendra Chahal at third man. Arshdeep bowled short but there wasn't enough bounce. As Parakh tried to go for the ramp, he did not get enough elevation. Chahal fumbled a bit but held on to the catch. Arshdeep gets his 2nd wicket.

Tristan Stubbs joins Sahil Parakh on the crease. Instead of taking advantage of the powerplay, Delhi have been forced to conserve and only go after the loose balls.

Arshdeep Singh gets a wicket in the third over as KL Rahul top-edged a short ball for a catch by Marco Jansen, who ran back a few yards. Delhi are 2 down for 14.

Yash Thakur has a wicket in the first over as he castles Abhishek Porel for 5. He bowled fast, full and Abhishek missed the length completely.

Yash Thakur seems like the right option for the surface. He's a hit-the-deck bowler, who is expected to do well here.

Delhi had already brought Ashutosh Sharma on, after the 17th over. Meanwhile, Punjab has brought Yash Thakur in, with Shashank Singh going out.

• Overs 1-6: 72/0 (RR: 12.0), 4 fours, 6 sixes
• Overs 7-15: 77/2 (RR: 8.55), 7 fours, 2 sixes
• Overs 16-20: 61/3 (RR: 12.2), 4 fours, 5 sixes

Punjab score 61 off the last 5 overs as Shreyas remains unbeaten on 59 and Shedge on 21. The target of 211 seems fine but Punjab have only 1 seam bowler, Marco Jansen. We might see Stoinis bowl as well.

A captain’s knock from #ShreyasIyer 💪

Sarpanch Saab has shifted gears and #DC can feel the heat as #PBKS head towards a big total.#TATAIPL Race To Playoffs 2026 ➡️ #PBKSvDC | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/YVNnKW1GmV pic.twitter.com/NKw3GksY51

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 11, 2026

Starc has taken a wicket on a really bad ball. Outisde off and there to be hit, Stoinis finds the man at extra cover. Make that 2 wickets off bad balls. A full back outside off and Shashank Singh hits it to mid-off.

Suryansh Shedge comes in and shows Starc why he won't tolerate any filth. He smashes 2 sixes and 1 four off him in 4 balls. Starc goes for 57 on a beautiful bowling track, might be a match-losing spell.

A bouncer from Madhav that gets stuck in the pitch and Connolly just can't get it away after hitting 2 boundaries. He top edges it and Miller takes a deep mid-wicket.

Delhi's two main bowlers, Starc and Ngidi, have been the worst performers today. Starc just hasn't found the right lines, and for some reason, Ngidi keeps bowling cutters even though there's help in the surface when you pitch it in the right places.

Combined, both have gone for 80 runs in 6 overs and are yet to take a wicket. This means, the other 3 bowlers have taken 2 wickets in 10 overs but gone for just 78 runs.

Punjab haven't lost a wicket but they can't score quickly. Connolly is playing under run-a-ball but Shreyas has been striking quickly but hasn't looked convincing since.

The ball slipped out of Madhav's hand. Luckily, it was given a wide instead of a no ball.

It's a maiden wicket for Madhav Tiwari. Arya wasn't hitting it well for the last few overs. Madhav kept bowling at a good length and his patience paid off. He skies it at a point where Sahil Parakh gobbles it up.

M&M combo halting the Kings! 🛑

Mukesh Kumar 🤝 Madhav Tiwari 🔥

Updates ▶️ https://t.co/wHhflKIvCR#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #PBKSvDC | @DelhiCapitals pic.twitter.com/MNdE1VNOsQ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 11, 2026

A wicket at last. The pitch has been acted up. There's seam movement and PBKS batters can't time the ball now. Mind you, they were 51/0 after 3 overs. In the next 4 overs, they've scored 27 and lost 1 wicket.

A great fifty. It's not a pitch where run scoring has been easy. Yes, the bowling hasn't been that great but Auqib Nabi had him on strings. He was lucky to not edge one behind and then when bad balls were bowled, he was ruthless. Considering the surface, this might be his best fifty yet.

After a hit-me ball, Mukesh Kumar hits the lengths well. There's plenty of seam movement even now. It's not a flat track, which the scorecard might reflect. In fact, Nabi has seamed the ball over 1 degree 8 times in 12 balls.

It's the 4th over and the ball is still swinging. It's criminal that DC has allowed PBKS to score at 14.75 runs per over. Especially since Starc and Nabi, who has bowled 2 no balls already, are swing bowlers. 

In fact, there's seam movement as well. Nabi has moved some unplayable balls but combined that with major errors as well. Perhaps, with some luck, he would've had a wicket.

Arya has hit a couple of beautiful shots but it doesn't seem like a pitch where Lungi Ngidi's slower balls are needed in the powerplay. The ball was swinging and DC didn't make use of it. PBKS are 51/0 and ahead in the game.

Auqib Nabi bowled a great ball to start but then went short and was pulled for six. He followed that up with another beauty but he's overstepped. There's quite a bit of help but the bowling has been subpar until now.

A full swinging ball way outside off, which Priyansh Arya carves over covers for a six. Starc keeps on changing lengths. Bowls 5 wides and almost has him caught at deep backward square leg. But Arya has luck with him again. But Starc's line or length hasn't been great either. 22 off the first over.

𝐀𝐑-𝐘𝐀 serious 🤯#PriyanshArya came, saw, & launched the very first ball over covers for a MAXIMUM 🚀#TATAIPL Race To Playoffs 2026 ➡️ #PBKSvDC | LIVE NOW 👉https://t.co/YVNnKW1GmV pic.twitter.com/2kfVWjtl7c

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 11, 2026

Interesting move by Delhi to play Sahil Parakh again. Perhaps they could've gone for Prithvi Shaw, who hasn't played yet. But Parakh too was dropped after just 1 game. It's been a year of chop and change for Delhi and it continues.

Delhi Capitals: Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay

Punjab Kings: Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Praveen Dubey

Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam go out. 

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

Punjab Kings Playing XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

DC captain Axar Patel wants to chase since it's the first game of the season in Dharamshala and he isn't too sure about the pitch. Here's what Axar told Deep Dasgupta: 

"We will be bowling. We will play our brand of cricket and don't worry about the result. Win or lose, we'll look to play a good brand of wicket. It's a fresh wicket; the new ball might do a bit and we want to let them bat first. Five changes for us."

Axar Patel has won the toss and opted to bowl first. Knowing they are out, DC have made 5 changes. As for PBKS, they too make one forced change.

Punjab Kings are almost certain to qualify but Delhi Capitals are virtually out. 

In the backdrop of the Himalayas, two struggling teams will face off. Even though Punjab Kings are in a fight for the top spot, their form has dipped. To make things worse, Punjab’s record in Dharamsala isn’t a moral booster either. PBKS have lost 8 out of 14 matches at this venue. 

However, the primary concern is their bowling. Punjab are the best batting team and also the worst bowling team. They have the highest run rate among the 10 teams and the worst economy rate, at 10.49 runs per over. 

Their best bowler, Arshdeep Singh, has conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.42. Vijaykumar Vyshak has gone for 10.85, while Xavier Bartlette has given away runs at 11.29. Marco Jansen is the only pacer with a below 10 economy rate. To make things worse, PBKS’ catching has been all over the place, with Shashank Singh alone dropping 7 chances.  

With batters firing from all cylinders, they need the support of their bowlers and fielders to regain form.

POS	TEAM	P	W	L	NR	NRR	Run Rate	Econ	PTS
1	RCB	11	7	4	0	1.103	10.38	9.28	14
2	SRH	11	7	4	0	0.737	10.74	10.00	14
3	GT	11	7	4	0	0.228	9.22	9.00	14
4	PBKS	10	6	3	1	0.571	11.06	10.49	13
5	CSK	11	6	5	0	0.185	9.41	9.22	12
6	RR	11	6	5	0	0.082	9.96	9.87	12
7	KKR	10	4	5	1	-0.169	8.90	9.07	9
8	DC	11	4	7	0	-1.154	9.07	10.22	8
9	MI	11	3	8	0	-0.585	9.70	10.29	6
10	LSG	11	3	8	0	-0.907	8.73	9.63	6

DC are hanging by a thread. Sitting on 8 points from 11 games, a loss on Monday officially eliminates them from the IPL 2026 Playoffs race. Even three wins to close the season would only take them to 14 points, and they'd then need their net run rate of -1.154 to dramatically improve while hoping a cascade of other results break their way. The math is brutal. Win Monday and there's at least a sliver of light. Lose, and the season is over.

With 13 points from 10 matches, PBKS are in a strong position. A win takes them to 15 points and pushes them to the brink of official playoff qualification. They have three matches still in hand to push for a top-two finish. Two wins from the remaining four likely seal it. Three would probably mean a Qualifier 1 spot.

Chances of reaching Top 4: 89.4%
Chances of reaching Top 2: 63%

The HPCA Stadium has traditionally been a batter's surface, with true bounce and excellent carry off the deck. The altitude is the bit that makes it different from other venues. The thin air means the ball travels further, and that's been part of the reason this ground has historically produced high-scoring games.

That said, there's something for the bowlers too. Fast bowlers tend to find a bit of swing in the powerplay, helped by the cool mountain breeze. Spinners often struggle to contain runs at this venue because of the shorter square boundaries and the lack of excessive turn. The pace bowlers, especially with the new ball, are the ones who get rewarded most.

The toss usually matters here. Captains have generally preferred to chase, partly because of the dew factor in evening fixtures, partly because batting tends to get easier as the surface settles.

Not so long ago, a PBKS vs DC match saw a record T20 chase. Punjab chased down the 264-run target in Delhi. Overall, it has been an evenly-matched contest, with Punjab Kings holding a slight edge of 19 wins to Delhi’s 16 in 35 matches. In Dharamsala, the two teams have faced off four times, sharing two wins each.

The forecast for Monday, May 11, 2026 is the bigger concern than the pitch. Scattered thunderstorms are expected through the day, with light rain forecast at night. Temperatures should range between a high of 18°C and a low of 12°C. A washout isn't off the cards, and even a delayed start or shortened game is a real possibility. Both teams will be watching the skies as much as the surface.