IPL 2026, Match 39: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Match Preview

Published - 26 Apr 2026, 14:54 IST | Updated - 26 Apr 2026, 14:54 IST

The Delhi Capitals (DC) host the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on April 27 in Match 39 of the 2026 Indian Premier League.

The Delhi Capitals were beaten comprehensively by the Punjab Kings despite KL Rahul scoring a masterful 152 off just 67 balls, failing to defend 264. They will be without the services of South African speedster Lungi Ngidi, who was subbed out in the third over of the game due to a concussion. The Capitals have just three wins in seven games and are sitting in a precarious position at the halfway stage of the season. They will need to rack up points if they are to make a push for the playoffs.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are coming off a strong five-wicket win against the Gujarat Titans, capping off their Bengaluru leg of the season with four wins in five games. They start a three-game away run with the game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The defending champions have five wins and two losses from seven games, and have once again been the team to beat.

The two teams met previously at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, and it was the Capitals who emerged victorious as they chased down 176 with six wickets in hand and one ball to spare. This was RCB's only loss in Bengaluru in the five games they played there.

The Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi has always favoured the batters. The venue used to be a haven for teams which would bat first, as the ball would start to grip due to the lack of dew. That trend has changed over the last few years due to the flatter nature of the wicket. The boundaries are small and the outfield is rapid, making boundary scoring much easier. Despite this, the bowlers tend to get help in the form of lateral movement off the wicket and grip and turn for the spinners.

The last game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 25 saw an aggregate of 529 runs being scored on a wicket where the ball came onto the bat comfortably. The Capitals put on a mammoth 264, which the Punjab Kings chased down without breaking a sweat.

Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Dushmantha Chameera

Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar