The Delhi Capitals (DC) will be in the hunt to return to winning ways when they take on the in-form Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side in Match 51 of the 2026
Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday, May 8.
DC come into the game on the back of a home defeat at the hands of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The 2020 finalists currently have just one win from their previous five games in the IPL this season and desperately need a win to keep their small playoff hopes alive.
The Capitals have an extremely talented squad that needs to show more consistency if they want to win more games. They possess an in-form top-order, whilst also seeing their bowling unit take a drastic step forward with the return of Mitchell Starc and Lungi Ngidi from their respective injuries.
Here is DC’s strongest predicted XI vs KKR, Match 51, IPL 2026:
Top Order: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Rana
On their day, DC’s top-order is capable of chasing down any given target. KL Rahul is currently their highest run-scorer while also being third in the race for the Orange Cap. The right-handed batter has scored 445 runs at an average of 49.44 whilst striking at almost 181. Pathum Nissanka has been adequate alongside Rahul, scoring at 156.16, which is similar to Nitish Rana’s strike-rate this season.
Middle Order: Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (C)
Sameer Rizvi has been DC’s unsung hero, registering two half-centuries and averaging 41.50. Tristan Stubbs, despite striking at just around 135, has provided them with a reliable batter who does not throw away his wicket cheaply, thus averaging 51.40. However, captain Axar Patel’s form with the bat is a massive worry. The left-hander has scored just 33 runs all season long, with 26 of those runs coming in one innings.
Bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, T Natarajan
Despite his shortcomings with the bat, DC’s bowling unit is led by Axar Patel, who currently leads his side’s wicket-taking charts with nine scalps to his name. Lungi Ngidi is close behind with eight wickets, while the returning Mitchell Starc has taken three wickets from two matches. Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, is two wickets away from 250 scalps in T20 cricket.
DC’s predicted playing XI vs KKR in Match 51, IPL 2026:
Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (C), Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, T Natarajan.
Impact Player: Karun Nair
