Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru remained unchanged as Axar Patel, the visiting skipper, chose to bowl first in the IPL 2026 match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won four out of five matches in their title defense, while Delhi Capitals aim to break their two-game losing streak after a week’s break. Axar Patel, after winning the toss, mentioned that the wicket might be slow due to it being a day game, and they prefer chasing at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar presented a sapling to Axar Patel as part of their ‘Green Initiative’ before the match began. Patidar expressed happiness at batting first, aiming to set a good total on the board and emphasize sustainability through their green jerseys. The conditions at the stadium were hot and dry, with short square boundaries and a slightly slower pitch favoring spinners in the game.
In the pitch report, it was noted that the surface was similar to the previous match but slightly drier with less grass. The playing XIs for both teams were announced, with Delhi Capitals fielding Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and others, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru included Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, and others in their lineup.
