Delhi Capitals have won the toss and have opted to field
Patidar backs batting, Axar opts to chase
Axar Patel chose to bowl for Delhi Capitals, citing a good, hard surface and chasing conditions at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He said the break helped after losses and stressed focusing on strengths.
A loud cheer greeted Rajat Patidar at the toss. He said Royal Challengers Bengaluru wanted to bat first and aim for a strong total, sticking with the same XI.
Delhi Capitals Playing XI: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Auqib Nabi, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Playing XI: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Impact Substitutes:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Venkatesh Iyer
Delhi Capitals: Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana
Pitch Report – It is an afternoon game at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium with heat a factor. The pitch looks dry with some grass but is expected to play slower. Spinners could come into play. Boundaries are short, so runs are still likely, but timing may not be easy. A score around 200 remains competitive.
RCB in control, DC under pressure
Delhi Capitals have chased in all four matches, winning two before back-to-back losses. They fell short by one run against Gujarat Titans and were outplayed by Chennai Super Kings. The combination looks settled, with KL Rahul key at his home ground, but they need a complete team effort.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have four wins in five and are strong at home. Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar lead the batting, with support from Tim David. Their bowling unit has also been consistent.