IPL 2026: DC win toss, choose to bowl first against RCB

BENGALURU: Dehi Capitals (DC) won the toss and opted to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash on Saturday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

DC captain Axar Patel, after winning the toss, said he will choose to bowl first, citing the good batting conditions and the chasing-friendly nature of the Chinnaswamy pitch. He confirmed an unchanged playing XI, added that the recent break was beneficial after a couple of losses, and stressed the need for the team to focus on their strengths.

“I am going to bowl first. The wicket looks good and hard. Chinnaswamy is obviously a good chasing ground. Same XI. (On having a long break) It’s good to have that break after losing a couple of games. We need to focus on our strengths,” Axar said at the toss presentation.

TOSS @DelhiCapitals have won the toss and will bowl first against @RCBTweets

Updates https://t.co/vfJ6SccA9T#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RCBvDC pic.twitter.com/u4tYnk5mUA

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 18, 2026

RCB have emerged as one of the most dominant sides this season, delivering strong performances with both bat and ball. Led by Rajat Patidar, their batting lineup has been consistently productive. They have won four of their five matches in the tournament so far and will look to add another win to their campaign.

In contrast, the Delhi Capitals have experienced an inconsistent start to their campaign. Led by Axar Patel, they have shown flashes of quality but have yet to put on a complete performance. They have won two out of their four matches so far and will look to clinch their third win of the season.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood.

RCB Impact Subs: Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal.

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

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