IPL 2026: KL Rahul's 56 and Porel's 51 power DC to five-wicket win over RR
Synopsis
Delhi Capitals needed 194 in their final home game of IPL 2026 — and delivered, with KL Rahul and Abishek Porel's 105-run stand doing the heavy lifting before Ashutosh Sharma sealed it with two blows in the last over. The win nudges DC up the table, but their playoff path remains as narrow as it gets.
Key Takeaways
Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets at Arun Jaitley Stadium on 17 May 2026 .
KL Rahul top-scored with 56 off 42 balls ; Abishek Porel hit 51 off 31 balls , sharing a 105-run opening stand .
Mitchell Starc took 4 for 40 to restrict RR to 193/8 ; Dhruv Jurel (53) and Riyan Parag (51) top-scored for RR.
Impact player Ashutosh Sharma finished unbeaten on 18 off 5 balls , hitting the winning six in the final over.
DC moved from eighth to seventh in the IPL 2026 standings, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
KL Rahul anchored a tense chase with a composed 56 off 42 balls as Delhi Capitals overhauled Rajasthan Royals' target of 194 to win by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday, 17 May. The victory lifted DC from eighth to seventh in the IPL 2026 standings and gave the hosts a winning farewell from their final home fixture of the season.
Starc Sets the Platform
Mitchell Starc's disciplined 4 for 40 was the first turning point of the evening, restricting a dangerous RR lineup to 193/8 in their 20 overs. Dhruv Jurel top-scored for the visitors with 53, while Riyan Parag contributed 51. Lungi Ngidi chipped in with 2 for 24 to keep RR from posting a more daunting total.
Rahul and Porel Dismantle the Chase
The DC openers attacked from the first ball. Abishek Porel, the designated aggressor, drove and whipped Jofra Archer for boundaries before punishing Brijesh Sharma for four consecutive fours. Rahul, meanwhile, rotated strike and capitalised on every loose delivery with surgical precision — pulling Adam Milne flat over deep mid-wicket for six in the fifth over.
Their 105-run opening partnership — DC's second century stand of IPL 2026, and both coming against RR — arrived in the ninth over when Rahul launched Yash Raj Punja over the sight screen. Porel brought up his fifty off 30 balls before holing out to long-on in the 11th over. Rahul followed with his own half-century off 34 balls in the 12th over. Notably, a dropped catch by Punja off Archer and an overthrow had earlier gifted DC four runs and a reprieve for Rahul early in the chase.
Middle-Order Wobble and Ashutosh's Finish
RR fought back sharply. Dasun Shanaka induced a chop-on from Rahul, Archer accounted for Sahil Parakh with a thick outside edge to Jurel, and Tristan Stubbs was caught attempting a pre-meditated scoop. With 19 runs needed off 12 balls, DC's innings was on the knife's edge. Axar Patel and David Miller steadied things briefly, each hitting a six off Donovan Ferreira, before Miller fell pulling Brijesh to deep mid-wicket.
Impact player Ashutosh Sharma settled the contest. Needing seven off the final over — bowled by Milne under an over-rate penalty that restricted RR to four fielders outside the circle — Ashutosh drove down the ground for four and then heaved over deep mid-wicket for six, completing the chase with four balls to spare via an unbeaten 18 off 5 balls.
Scoreboard and Playoff Picture
DC posted 197/5 in 19.2 overs to RR's 193/8. Archer finished with 2 for 35 and Brijesh with 2 for 44 for the Royals. The win keeps DC's slim playoff hopes alive as the IPL 2026 league phase enters its final stretch.
Point of View
But the fact that a five-ball cameo from an impact player was needed to close out 19 off the last two overs points to a structural fragility. For RR, the over-rate penalty in the final over — which cost them a fielder in the circle at the most critical moment — is a costly lapse in discipline that their management will need to address. At seventh in the table, DC's playoff arithmetic is still daunting; they need results to go their way as much as they need wins of their own.
NationPress
11 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the DC vs RR IPL 2026 match on 17 May?
Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on 17 May 2026. DC chased down 194 in 19.2 overs to finish on 197/5.
How did KL Rahul perform in the DC vs RR match?
KL Rahul top-scored for Delhi Capitals with 56 off 42 balls, anchoring the chase and sharing a 105-run opening stand with Abishek Porel. He was dismissed in the middle overs but had already set the platform for the win.
What were Mitchell Starc's figures against Rajasthan Royals?
Mitchell Starc took 4 for 40 in his four overs, restricting Rajasthan Royals to 193/8. It was a key bowling performance that kept the target within DC's reach.
How did Ashutosh Sharma win the match for DC?
Ashutosh Sharma came in as an impact player and finished unbeaten on 18 off 5 balls. Needing seven off the final over — bowled by Adam Milne under an over-rate penalty — he drove for four and then heaved a six to seal the chase with four balls to spare.
What does this result mean for Delhi Capitals' playoff chances?
The win moved DC from eighth to seventh in the IPL 2026 standings. Their playoff hopes remain slim but alive, and the result also marked a winning send-off from their last home fixture of the season.
