IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals strengthen playoff hopes with a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals strengthen playoff hopes with a five-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals")
Abishek Porel celebrates with teammate KL Rahul Photograph: (AFP)
KL Rahul (56 off 42) and Abishek Porel (51 off 31) struck fluent half-centuries as Delhi Capitals defeated Rajasthan Royals by five wickets at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
KL Rahul struck 56 off 42 deliveries and Abishek Porel contributed a brisk 51 from 31 balls as Delhi Capitals chased down 194 with four balls to spare, defeating Rajasthan Royals by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday (May 17). The win kept DC’s IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive, although their path to the top four remains uncertain.
Delhi’s innings slowed down a bit after their openers got out, but captain Axar Patel once again handled the pressure well. Coming off a good performance against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, he carried that confidence into the home match and played an important finishing role when it mattered most.
With 19 runs required from the final 11 balls, impact substitute Ashutosh Sharma provided the perfect support, smashing 18 runs off only five deliveries to complete the chase. Axar remained unbeaten on 34 from 18 balls.
For Rajasthan Royals, Brijesh Sharma and Jofra Archer claimed two wickets each, while Dasun Shanaka chipped in with one scalp.
Earlier in the match, Dhruv Jurel top-scored with 53 off 40 balls, while Riyan Parag hammered 51 from just 26 deliveries to help Rajasthan post 193/8 after being asked to bat first.
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Youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also impressed with a rapid 46 off 21 balls.During the knock, the left-hander overtook Virat Kohli and Abhishek Sharma for the most sixes by an Indian batter in a single IPL season, reaching 43 maximums.
Rajasthan looked set for a massive total at 161/2 before Mitchell Starc changed the momentum with a decisive three-wicket over. The left-arm pacer finished with figures of 4/40, while Madhav Tiwari contributed with 2/27.
At present, Delhi Capitals are currently seventh on the points table with 12 points from 13 matches. Rajasthan Royals also have 12 points but dropped to sixth due to a low net run rate, while Chennai Super Kings sit fifth with the same tally.
