IPL 2026: DC elect to bowl against RCB, know playing XIs

Delhi Capitals won the toss and chose to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 game at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, April 17.

What did the captains say at the toss?

DC skipper Axar Patel, after winning the toss, said:

"I am going to bowl first. The wicket looks nice and hard. Since it’s a day game, it might be a bit slow. Also, Chinnaswamy is usually a chasing ground, so we would like to chase. That’s why we decided to bowl first. We are going with the same XI. (On having a long break) If you’re winning, the break would be bad. But since we lost the last two matches, the break helped us regroup. Now we are back together as a unit and ready to start with fresh momentum. Obviously we are looking at the opposition but we are focusing on our own strengths and sticking to our plans. We'll follow our plans and see what happens."

Meanwhile, RCB captain Rajat Patidar, after losing the toss, said:

"Happy to bat first because we were planning to bat first on this track. It's a day game, looking a good surface. So we'll put a good total on the board and put them under pressure. (On the green initiative) Yeah, I think we wear this jersey to show our commitment to sustainability and encourage everyone to make green choices for the planet. (Changes) No, we are playing with the same side. (On playing well at the Chinnaswamy) Of course, there was a lot of planning behind it. And as you know, this year we have a final at Chinnaswamy, so we have to win all the home matches."

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI):

Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Jordan Cox, , Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI):

Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul(w), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel(c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Auqib Nabi Dar, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar

Delhi Capitals Impact Subs: Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana