IPL 2026: Struggling DC host KKR in must-win encounter
What's the story
Delhi Capitals (DC) will host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 51 of IPL 2026 on May 8. The game, starting 7:30pm IST, is scheduled to be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium. DC, led by Axar Patel, are seventh in the standings with just four wins. They have lost four of their five home encounters so far. KKR are also in the bottom half, but they won their last three games.
Details
Pitch report and conditions
The Arun Jaitley Stadium is known for its batting-friendly surfaces, but seamers have found assistance in recent games. Four of the five games here have seen chasing teams prevail. In the last game, the CSK spinners choked the home side. According to AccuWeather, it will be a hazy evening in New Delhi with a 6% cloud cover. The temperature will be around 28 degrees Celsius.
Team form
How DC, KKR have fared
Apart from defeating Mumbai Indians back in April, DC haven't won at Arun Jaitley Stadium. They couldn't defend 264 and even perished for 75 on this ground. DC's last match also saw Chennai Super Kings beat them at their home venue. Another defeat could eliminate the seventh-placed DC from the playoff race. Meanwhile, KKR are coming off a seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad away from home. They previously ended their six-match unbeaten run.
Lineups
Here are the likely XIIs
DC (Probable XII): KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Pathum Nissanka, Karun Nair, Tristan Stubbs, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (captain), Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, and T Natarajan. KKR (Probable XII): Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wicket-keeper), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, and Varun Chakravarthy.
Information
What's the head-to-head record?
The two teams have clashed 34 times in IPL, and the battle has been neck-to-neck. As per ESPNcricinfo, KKR have the upper hand with 19 victories, and DC have 15 wins. KKR have a 6-5 lead at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Milestones
Key milestones on offer
KL Rahul has been in sublime form in IPL 2026, averaging nearly 50. He has a strike rate of 180.89. The DC opener requires four more to complete 500 fours in the IPL. His skipper, Axar Patel, is 51 shy of completing 2,000 runs in the league. Notably, Axar has scored just 33 runs in seven innings this season. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav is closing in on 250 wickets in T20 cricket (248*).
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