Delhi Capitals Choose to Bowl First Against LSG in IPL 2026 Match
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Lucknow, April 1 (NationPress) The Delhi Capitals emerged victorious in the toss and opted to bowl first against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) during the fifth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.
“We have decided to bowl first. Being the inaugural game on red soil, we wish to observe the pitch's behavior,” remarked DC captain Axar Patel following the toss. “Statistics indicate that teams batting second have a higher winning rate. As the tournament kicks off, we are eager to assess our bowling performance, which was our intention all along. Last season, we had a strong start but missed out on qualification due to one crucial match. We aim for a solid beginning again and hope for a favorable outcome,” he added.
Regarding his overseas selections, Patel stated, “We have included three batters and a bowler: David Miller, Pathum Nissanka, Tristan Stubbs, and Lungi Ngidi.”
Rishabh Pant, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants, expressed, “In conditions like this, the toss outcome is less significant. It's advantageous to have what you prefer. The pitch is unlikely to change significantly, aside from dew. We have certainly introduced a fresh energy with our new color scheme, logo, and mindset over the past year. We are also working on addressing previous challenges.”
“We feel positive, and that’s my main sentiment—ready to make a strong impact. We certainly need to enhance our performance compared to last season and manage our injury concerns. As a captain, I cannot dwell excessively on those aspects. Our bowlers are in great shape and eager to step onto the field and make their mark,” he further commented.
Playing XIs:
Delhi Capitals: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Lungi Ngidi, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav
Impact substitutes: Sameer Rizvi, Karun Nair, Ashutosh Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Auqib Nabi
Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c and wk), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohsin Khan, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Anrich Nortje
Impact substitutes: Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akshat Raghuwanshi