Delhi Capitals defeated Rajasthan Royals by five wickets in the Indian Premier League 2026 on May 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Batting first, Rajasthan Royals posted 193/8 in their 20 overs, with Dhruv Jurel top-scoring with 53 off 40 balls, while Riyan Parag played a blistering knock of 51 off just 26 deliveries. For Delhi Capitals, Mitchell Starc led the bowling attack brilliantly with figures of 4/40, while Lungi Ngidi claimed 2/24 and Madhav Tiwari picked up 2/27.
In response, Delhi Capitals chased down the target comfortably, finishing on 197/5 in 19.2 overs. Abishek Porel provided a strong start with 51 off 31 balls, while KL Rahul anchored the innings with a composed 56 off 42 deliveries. For Rajasthan Royals, Jofra Archer impressed with figures of 2/35, while Brijesh Sharma took 2/44.
With the win, Delhi Capitals moved to seventh place in the points table, while Rajasthan Royals slipped to sixth position.
Talking Points:
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rocket start
Rajasthan Royals suffered an early blow as Yashasvi Jaiswal departed cheaply for 12 runs. However, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi counterattacked brilliantly after joining forces with Dhruv Jurel at the crease. The youngster smashed 46 runs off just 21 balls, laced with five fours and three sixes at an explosive strike rate of 219.05. The duo stitched together a rapid 70-run partnership in only 34 balls for the second wicket, putting RR in a commanding position during the powerplay.
Mitchell Starc’s triple-wicket over
Veteran pacer Mitchell Starc turned the game on its head with a sensational 15th over for Delhi Capitals. On the second delivery of the over, he dismissed Riyan Parag, before removing Donovan Ferreira on the very next ball. Starc completed the memorable over by dismissing Ravi Singh on the fifth ball, finishing with outstanding figures of 4/40 and shifting the momentum heavily in DC’s favour.
Axar Patel’s steady finish
During the chase, Abishek Porel and KL Rahul provided a strong platform with a solid opening partnership. However, Delhi Capitals lost wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs, creating some pressure late in the innings. Captain Axar Patel kept his composure and guided the side home with a crucial unbeaten 34 off 18 balls, including two fours and two sixes. Ashutosh Sharma also played an impactful cameo, remaining unbeaten on 18 runs off just five deliveries to seal the chase in style.
Who said what?
Riyan Parag, Rajasthan Royals (Losing Captain)
(where did you lose it?) “Pretty much everything, actually. We were in a pretty good space after 14 overs. After I got out, we didn’t capitalise on that. It was… It had to be 220-230, something like that. And as far as the bowling is concerned, I think we were just weren’t there. We weren’t up to the mark. Ferreira wasn’t a gamble. I know on TV it looks like a gamble, but then you’ve got two left-handers. I’d rather bowl Donovan, take a chance, than get Shanaka to bowl another over. Didn’t really work out. (on the fielding) Very poor. I feel if you want to win a trophy, if you want to be contending every single year, you’ve got to be better than what we’ve done today. Extremely disappointed. I feel we are a way better team than what we’ve played or shown in the last 4-5 games. But today was just, I feel… After coming from a break, I feel what we’ve shown today, energy-wise, skill-wise, execution-wise, is definitely not up to the mark. And if we keep on playing like this, we shouldn’t be in contention for the top 4. (still in contention if you win your last two games) Yeah, I think that’s depending on a lot of other teams as well. That is not how I like to lead. That is not how I like to speak to my team as well. That, oh, we need these guys to keep on losing so we can win two games. We’ve had the opportunity, we’ve not taken it. So if we do not qualify, it’s our fault. No-one else’s. And yeah, next two games, we’ll see what we can do better and hopefully get two wins.”
Axar Patel, Delhi Capitals (Winning Captain)
It’s obviously a good feeling to win at home. Winning the final home game feels special. In the matches we lost, we lost wickets in cluster. We ensured that that didn’t happen today. We bowled really well in the middle overs to make a comeback. The last 6 overs, it was class bowling. The bowling unit refused to give up.
Mitchell Starc, Player of the Match
An interesting one. We didn’t bowl too bad in the powerplay. We fought back really well towards the end. Very good start for us. To get those two points is always nice. That’s the key, adjusting quickly. Lungi bowled fantastically. We adjusted really well after the powerplay. As bowlers, you have to put the ego behind. (On the bowling group) There’s plenty of talent there. We’ve seen some young talent come through. It’s a positive to see the youngsters come here and perform.
