Delhi Capitals lost their third match of IPL 2026, as they were beaten by 47 runs by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday, April 21.
Delhi Capitals, led by Axar Patel, started this season on a very good note as they defeated Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians. After that, they lost two matches in a row against Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.
In the next match, they beat the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but in their recent game, they again lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad. In six matches so far, they have 6 points with three wins and three losses.
They are still searching for their best playing XI, which may be why they have been inconsistent. They have good bench players who can fix the team’s issues.
Delhi Capitals opener Pathum Nissanka, who was bought for INR 4 crore in the IPL 2026 auction, has played all six matches so far. He has scored 136 runs at an average of 22.66 and a strike rate of 149.45, which is a bit low by his standards.
After going unsold in the previous auction, Prithvi Shaw was signed by Delhi Capitals for 75 lakh. He has mostly played as an opener and can be a good option at the top. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy 2025, Shaw scored 183 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 160.52 and then made 193 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He can be a good option for them.
Abishek Porel is another option at the top. In the previous IPL season, he scored 301 runs in 13 matches. He was also in good form in domestic cricket, scoring 225 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and 241 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has already opened before and can be a strong option in place of Nissanka.
If they can bring Prithvi Shaw into the XI, they can expect an explosive start in the powerplay, which will also allow KL Rahul to play his natural game.
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If Delhi Capitals drop Pathum Nissanka, they can bring in an overseas bowler. They have Dushmantha Chameera, who has been in good form and took 10 wickets in six matches in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Chameera can replace Mukesh Kumar, who has taken only five wickets in six matches. Mukesh started well in the tournament, but in his last four matches, he has conceded more than 50 runs twice. In the previous match against SRH, his figures were 0/53. If Dushmantha Chameera is included in the XI, he can come in and bowl with the new ball.
This change is possible only if Pathum Nissanka is excluded because their other overseas players, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller and Lungi Ngidi have been performing well.
Delhi Capitals will face unbeaten Punjab Kings on April 25 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
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