IPL 2026 Today's Match: DC vs CSK playing 11, batters vs bowlers match-ups
Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK will be hoping to complete their season double over DC to keep their playoff hopes up and running
The battle for playoff spots heats up in the Indian Premier League 2026 as Chennai Super Kings face Delhi Capitals in Match 48 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium today. With both sides locked at four wins from nine matches, this contest could play a key role in shaping the playoff race, especially with CSK marginally ahead on net run rate. DC skipper Axar Patel won the toss for the match and invited Rututaj Gaikwad-led CSK to bowl first.
IPL 2026 DC vs CSK playing 11: DC playing 11: KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Karun Nair, Tristan Stubbs, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan Impact players: David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Auqib Nabi Dar
Chennai Super Kings playing 11: Sanju Samson (w), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh
Impact players: Sarfaraz Khan, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube
CSK have had a mixed campaign, largely affected by injuries, with Ramakrishna Ghosh the latest to be ruled out. Despite this, their bowling attack has been consistent across phases. However, their batting unit has struggled for rhythm, with inconsistency from Sanju Samson and a lack of strong finishes costing them crucial runs.
Delhi, meanwhile, appear to be peaking at the right time. Their top order has delivered runs regularly, while the return of Mitchell Starc adds bite to their pace attack. With Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav leading the spin unit, DC will aim to overcome inconsistency and strengthen their playoff push.
Now, before the two sides finally take the ground, let’s take a look at the captaincy record of both skippers, their expected playing 11 combinations, and key player match-ups for the game.
Axar Patel's captaincy record in IPL (DC)
- Matches: 23
- Wins: 12
- Losses: 10
- N/R: 1
- Win percentage: 54.54%
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy record in IPL (CSK)
- Matches: 28
- Wins: 12
- Losses: 16
- N/R: 0
- Win percentage: 42.85%
DC squad for IPL 2026:
Sahil Parakh, KL Rahul (w), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Dushmantha Chameera, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Auqib Nabi Dar, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay, Abishek Porel, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Pathum Nissanka, Rehan Ahmed, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Karun Nair
CSK squad for IPL 2026:
Sanju Samson (w), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry, MS Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Zakary Foulkes, Akash Madhwal
IPL 2026: DC vs CSK key player battles
DC batters vs CSK bowlers
| Batter (DC) | Bowler (CSK) | Inns | Runs | Outs | SR |
| KL Rahul | Noor Ahmad | 7 | 52 | 2 | 148 |
| KL Rahul | Akeal Hosein | 5 | 44 | 1 | 146 |
| Pathum Nissanka | Noor Ahmad | 3 | 26 | 1 | 144 |
| Tristan Stubbs | Noor Ahmad | 4 | 31 | 1 | 172 |
| Tristan Stubbs | Jamie Overton | 3 | 28 | 1 | 160 |
| Axar Patel | Noor Ahmad | 6 | 36 | 2 | 150 |
| Ashutosh Sharma | Akeal Hosein | 2 | 18 | 1 | 180 |
| Sameer Rizvi | Noor Ahmad | 2 | 14 | 1 | 140 |
CSK batters vs DC bowlers
| Batter (CSK) | Bowler (DC) | Inns | Runs | Outs | SR |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Mitchell Starc | 6 | 48 | 2 | 150 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Kuldeep Yadav | 7 | 44 | 2 | 132 |
| Sanju Samson | Mitchell Starc | 9 | 62 | 3 | 138 |
| Shivam Dube | Mitchell Starc | 5 | 34 | 2 | 136 |
| Dewald Brevis | Kuldeep Yadav | 3 | 21 | 1 | 150 |
| Jamie Overton | Mitchell Starc | 2 | 15 | 1 | 150 |
| Kartik Sharma | Kuldeep Yadav | 2 | 17 | 1 | 155 |