IPL 2026: DC win toss, choose to bowl first against CSK in Chennai

CHENNAI: Delhi Capitals (DC) won the toss and decided to bowl first against the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the 18th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season on Saturday. The Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings highly anticipated clash is being held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

Delhi are coming into this contest after suffering a close one-run defeat against the Gujarat Titans. Chennai, on the other hand, are searching for its first win this season after losing three consecutive matches till now. After winning the toss, DC skipper Axar Patel said that Jammu and Kashmir pacer Aquib Nabi is making his debut, whereas Ashutosh Sharma is in the Impact Sub list.

“We would like to bowl first because the pitch looks good, and whatever score is set, we would prefer to chase it. The IPL is a long tournament, and the dressing room atmosphere is very relaxed. The discussion has been around focusing on what we can control. Once we reach a certain point, there’s no need to overthink things. So that’s been the mindset, control what’s in our hands,” Axar said.

Toss update from Chennai @DelhiCapitals have won the toss and elected to field first.

Updates https://t.co/BzGc6O65jX #TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #CSKvDC pic.twitter.com/57DfrIpBGl

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 11, 2026

“The mood is good. If you look at the balance of our side, we have almost all bases covered. Obviously, based on the options we had, I think we’ve picked a very good combination. Compared to last year, the team looks more balanced, and hopefully, we will perform well today. As for the surface, it has been a good batting wicket this season. Over the last couple of years in Chennai, it has played well. It’s a red soil pitch, so there should be good bounce. We will aim to restrict them to as low a total as possible and then chase it down. There are two changes. Nabi comes in for Vipraj, and Ashutosh Sharma is in the Impact Sub list,” Patel added.

After losing the toss, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad confirmed that Dewald Brevis is coming into the side. “The pitch does look a bit on the drier side. We were actually 50-50 about the toss, but it’s good to back ourselves. The aim is to put our best foot forward today, get that first win and get on the points table. That’s what we’ve been trying over the last couple of games as well. As I mentioned in the press conference, we’ve been improving in all departments. The batting has been doing really well, it’s just a few key moments where we’ve missed out, and those are the areas we need to capitalise on,” Gaikwad said.

“But overall, everyone is in a good space and really eager to go. When you look at the balance of the side, we are definitely playing to our potential. It’s great to have Brevis back; he’s excited and ready. The middle order looks solid as well. We’ve also brought in Gurjapneet Singh, who has been bowling well recently, in place of Matt Edwards. For those asking about MS Dhoni, he’s at the hotel watching and supporting us. But yes, very soon, you’ll see him out on the ground,” CSK skipper added.

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurjapneet Singh.

CSK Impact Subs: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry.

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (capt), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Auqib Nabi, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar.

DC Impact Subs: Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana. (ANI)