- By Sports desk
- Fri, 01 May 2026 11:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A brilliant batting display from KL Rahul (75) and Pathum Nissanka (62) helped Delhi Capitals chase down a massive target and beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in their IPL 2026 match on Friday. Their efforts overshadowed a strong comeback knock from Riyan Parag, who scored 90 runs.
RR's batting
Rajasthan Royals, after being asked to bat first, posted a big total of 225 for 6. Parag played a key role in that innings, scoring 90 off 50 balls. It was his first half-century of the season and came at a time when he was under pressure due to poor form and recent criticism.
Parag’s innings also helped calm things after early wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal was out for 6, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi managed only 4, leaving RR in trouble at the start. Parag then built a strong partnership with Dhruv Jurel, who scored 42.
He later continued the momentum with useful support from Ravindra Jadeja (20) and Donovan Ferreira, who finished with a quick 47 not out from just 14 balls. Ferreira’s late hitting pushed RR to a strong total.
DC's Chase
In reply, Delhi Capitals started brilliantly. KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka gave them a flying start, putting on 102 runs for the opening wicket in just over nine overs. Rahul took a bit of time to settle, but once he got going, he played some classy shots all around the ground. Nissanka was aggressive from the start, especially strong on the pull shot, hitting three sixes in that style.
Rahul reached his fifty in 27 balls, while Nissanka got there even faster. However, Nissanka was later dismissed after attempting a reverse sweep.
Rahul then added another 61 runs with Nitish Rana, keeping DC in control. But both Rana and Rahul fell in quick succession, and DC still needed 49 runs from 26 balls at that stage.
From there, Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma finished the job calmly, guiding Delhi Capitals to their biggest successful chase in the IPL.
With this win, DC moved up to sixth place on the points table, while Rajasthan Royals stayed fourth.
For RR, Mitchell Starc was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 40 in his first match of the season, including the important wicket of Parag.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan Royals: 225/6 in 20 overs (Riyan Parag 90, Dhruv Jurel 42, Donovan Ferreira 47 not out; Mitchell Starc 3/40).
Delhi Capitals: 226/3 in 19.1 overs (KL Rahul 75, Pathum Nissanka 62, Nitish Rana 33).