🏏IPL 2026: DC vs PBKS, 35th Match, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi🏏

🏏IPL 2026: DC vs PBKS, 35th Match, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on 25/04/2026 at 3:30PM IST🏏

DC have lots of catching up to do to give PBKS a fight

Rehan Ahmed has joined Delhi Capitals whereas Cooper Connolly is available for Punjab Kings after a quick trip to Australia

PBKS look to extend winning streak

Punjab Kings (PBKS) are riding on a five-match unbeaten streak, just two shy of their best run across 2013-14, and have looked in control across phases. Their powerplay batting, driven by Priyansh Arya, has been particularly destructive, and they carry an air of invincibility in chases, thanks in large part to Shreyas Iyer.

Delhi Capitals (DC), in contrast, have struggled to keep pace with big targets. They are yet to chase down 200 this season in three attempts, and since 2024 have fallen short in eight of their 10 pursuits of 200 or more. Compounding that is a lack of clarity in how they have used their resources, especially the Impact Player.

They have shuffled between Ashutosh Sharma (vs CSK), Karun Nair (vs RCB), and back to Ashutosh (vs SRH). Pathum Nissanka has gone quiet after a bright start, while Nitish Rana, after being left out earlier, suddenly finds himself back under pressure.

That hint of uncertainty extends to their bowling as well. Against SRH, who piled up 242, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel bowled just two overs each, while Rana completed his full quota for 55 runs. Two games on, Auqib Nabi was back on the bench. It all points to a side still searching for its most effective combination.

That's not an ideal position to be in at the halfway mark. With a clash against the table-toppers looming, DC will need to iron out these issues quickly.

Teams Watch

Delhi Capitals

Injuries & Availability: Rehan Ahmed has linked up with the squad but Starc is yet to arrive after Cricket Australia cleared him to participate in the league. The Australian pacer is expected to play starting May 1.

Tactics & Matchups: Arshdeep Singh may have rediscovered his wicket-taking knack after an expensive start to the season, but he's facing a line-up that loves scoring off him. Nissanka (178.57), Stubbs (158.13) and Miller (158.97) have all been fairly explosive against the left-armer in the shortest format.

Probable XII: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (c), Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan

Punjab Kings

Injuries & Availability: Cooper Connolly, who had left for Cricket Australia's fitness tests in the six-day break, is back and available for Saturday's game.

Tactics & Matchups: Against Delhi's primary spinners, the PBKS skipper has the upper hand. Shreyas Iyer strikes at 173.68 against Kuldeep Yadav and at 151.92 against his counterpart Axar Patel, making this a fascinating middle-overs sub-plot to watch out for.

Probable XII: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak

DC vs PBKS Head to Head T20 Record

Matches Played 34

Won by Delhi Capitals 17

Won by Punjab Kings 17

Tied 00

No Result 00

First-ever Fixture April 27, 2008

Most-recent Fixture May 24, 2025

DC vs PBKS Probable Best Performances of the Match

Probable Best Batter: Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer might be the key batter in this clash. He has scored 208 runs in five innings, often carrying his team through the middle overs. He ensures that the run rate does not drop and plays the role of an aggressor, helping his team build towards a big total.

Probable Best Bowler: Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal might be the key bowler in this clash. He has taken four wickets in six games, and the pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium suits spinners well. Chahal will have a great opportunity to showcase his full potential and play a decisive role in securing victory for his team.

Today's Match Prediction: Chasing team to win the match

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings

Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, Delhi

DC

Second To Bat

Powerplay: 45-55

180-190

PBKS

Second To Bat

Powerplay: 50-60

185-195

Win Probability

DC 50%

PBKS 50%

Disclaimer

The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

When: DC vs PBKS, Saturday, April 25, at 3:30 PM IST

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

What to expect: Temperatures soaring into early 40s for the afternoon game. Skewed boundary sizes with pitch no. 6 again in use tomorrow but a high-scoring game on the cards nonetheless.

Head-to-head: It has been quite neck to neck for the two teams - an even 17-all in 34 matches in IPL history; at the venue the teams have each won six and incidentally, since 2023, the two teams' record is 2-all.

Did you know?

- Shreyas Iyer has scored 200 runs in five innings against DC, at a strike-rate of 144.92 and two fifties included.

- Delhi Capitals have won all six tosses and have only chased in IPL 2026 so far.

Stats and trivia

• PBKS are joint-toppers as far as powerplay run rates go (11.33). Only LSG (8.19) have a worse powerplay run rates than DC's 8.69.
• Priyansh Arya's strike rate of 258 in the powerplay is the best among batters who have faced at least 50 balls this IPL season. He hits a boundary every two balls in this phase.
• In terms of economy rate, DC have two of the top four bowlers at the death of this IPL. T Natarajan and Lungi Ngidi concede at 8.25 and 8.3 an over respectively, and are only behind Jofra Archer and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Pitch and conditions

The last game at the Kotla was a thriller, with GT defending one run off the last ball. David Miller turning down a single was the talking point from a game where 419 runs were scored. This match will be played on a similar deck, with the curators having had a fortnight since that game, ensuring there's enough sheen on the deck to produce another high-scorer.