IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals steamroll Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets; start campaign in explosive style

Lucknow: Delhi Capitals began their IPL 2026 campaign with a victory on Wednesday, bouncing back from a poor start to secure a six-wicket win against the Lucknow Super Giants. Chasing a target of 142 runs set by the Super Giants, Delhi triumphed in 17.1 overs, reaching 145 for the loss of four wickets—despite having slumped to 26 for four early on.

Their victory was powered by an unbeaten knock of 70 runs off 47 balls—featuring four sixes and five fours—from Rizvi, who came in as an Impact Player, and a unbroken 110-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Tristan Stubbs (39 not out). Earlier, the Super Giants were bundled out for 141 runs in 18.4 overs, succumbing to the incisive bowling of fast bowlers Lungi Ngidi and T. Natarajan. Kuldeep Yadav also claimed two wickets.

What happened during the match?

For the Lucknow Super Giants, only Abdul Samad (36) and opener Mitchell Marsh (35) managed to hold their ground and bat with any stability. Apart from these two, no other batsman in the team could even reach the 20-run mark. Delhi's chase got off to a disastrous start, as the team lost four wickets by the fifth over with the score at just 26 runs. Lokesh Rahul (0) handed a catch to Mohsin Khan at deep point off the very first ball of the innings, bowled by Mohammed Shami (1 wicket for 28 runs).

Nitish Rana (15) struck fours off both Shami and Prince Yadav (2 wickets for 20 runs). He also hit a six off Shami but eventually fell to Mohsin (1 wicket for 19 runs), offering a catch to Samad in the slips. Opener Pathum Nissanka (01) lofted a delivery from Prince into the air, handing a catch to wicketkeeper-captain Rishabh Pant, while in the very same over, Delhi's captain Axar Patel (00) was bowled out. Delhi finished the Powerplay at 33 runs for the loss of four wickets. Tristan Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi stemmed the fall of wickets. Rizvi brought up the team's fifty-run mark in the eighth over by smashing a six behind the wicket off Anrich Nortje.

Stubbs struck a four off Shami, while Rizvi welcomed spinner Shahbaz Ahmed with three boundaries. Rizvi completed his half-century in 37 balls—hitting a six and a four off consecutive deliveries from Aiden Markram—and propelled the team's score past the 100-run mark in the 14th over. Delhi required 29 runs for victory in the final five overs; Rizvi brought the team close to the target with a four and a six off consecutive deliveries from Mohsin, and then sealed the win for Delhi with a six off Samad.

How did Lucknow start?

Earlier, Axar won the toss and elected to bowl first, resulting in a sluggish start for the Super Giants. The Super Giants lost the wicket of Pant (07) on the final ball of the third over when he was run out. Marsh played a straight shot off Mukesh Kumar; the ball deflected off the bowler's hand and struck the stumps at the non-striker's end while Pant was standing outside his crease.

Marsh struck the first six of the innings off Mukesh. Aiden Markram (11) also sent a delivery from Axar into the stands but missed the very next ball and was bowled. The Super Giants posted a score of 48 runs for the loss of two wickets during the Powerplay. Ayush Badoni also failed to open his account, falling to a catch by wicketkeeper Lokesh Rahul off the bowling of Natarajan. Marsh hit another six off Ngidi, but the fast bowler dealt the Super Giants their fourth blow by bowling Nicholas Pooran (08).

Shortly thereafter, Marsh played a lofted shot off Kuldeep and was caught by Tristan Stubbs at mid-off, leaving the Super Giants' score at 71 runs for the loss of five wickets. In his 28-ball innings, he struck three sixes and two fours. Mukul Chaudhary (14) struck two consecutive fours off Kuldeep, while Samad brought up the team's century of runs in the 13th over with a boundary off Natarajan. Kuldeep ended Mukul's 34-run partnership with Samad by catching him off his own bowling.

Samad accelerated the scoring rate with a four and a six off consecutive deliveries from Natarajan; however, while attempting a big shot off the very same pacer, he was caught by Miller at the boundary. He faced 25 deliveries, hitting three fours and one six. In the same over, Natarajan also had Mohammed Shami (01) caught by Kuldeep, while Ngidi brought the Super Giants' innings to a close by dismissing Anrich Nortje (00) and Mohsin Khan (00).