RCB vs DC, Match 26 Preview: Delhi look to stop Bengaluru’s winning chariot; check head-to-head, pitch report, more

Royal Challengers Bengaluru host Delhi Capitals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, 18 April, at 3:30 PM IST in Match 26 of IPL 2026. RCB come in on the back of a convincing win over LSG and will be keen to consolidate their position. DC, meanwhile, are searching for consistency after a mixed run of results.

Match Logistics

The match is at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, on Saturday, 18 April, at 3:30 PM IST. It is an afternoon fixture, which means there’s no dew factor. It’s a dry surface that could offer some assistance in the middle overs.

Head-to-Head Record

RCB have a clear edge in this rivalry. They have won 20 of 33 matches, while DC have won 12, with one game ending without a result. RCB’s highest score is 215, and their lowest is 137. DC’s highest is 196, and its lowest is 95.

Recent seasons tell a different story. The contest has been more even. In 2025, both teams won one match each, both by 6 wickets. In 2024, RCB won by 47 runs. In 2023, they again split the games, with RCB winning by 23 runs and DC by 7 wickets.

So, while recent results look balanced, the overall record still strongly favours RCB.

Team News

RCB thumped LSG with 29 balls and 5 wickets to spare in their last game with their best playing XII and will likely keep the same team if all twelve are fit.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Tim David, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Rasikh Salam, 12 Suyash Sharma (Impact Player)

Delhi Capitals (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Nitish Rana/Ashutosh Sharma, 4 Sameer Rizvi, 5 Axar Patel, 6 David Miller, 7 Tristan Stubbs, 8 Vipraj Nigam/Auqib Nabi, 9 Lungi Ngidi, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mukesh Kumar, 12 T Natarajan (IP)

Key Players to Watch

If one player has changed the tempo of the middle overs this season, it is Rajat Patidar. The average strike rate in overs 6 to 16 is 151.39. Patidar is scoring at 213.46, far ahead of the field. He has already hit 21 sixes in this phase. Against spinners like Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, he looks like a serious threat.

KL Rahul enjoys batting against RCB. He averages 71.1 and strikes at 144. Last year, he made an unbeaten 93 at Chinnaswamy to win the game. Still, legspin has troubled him. Since IPL 2025, he has been dismissed twice in nine innings and strikes at just 101. RCB could use Suyash Sharma early, especially since Rahul often gets out within his first 10 balls.

Virat Kohli is one six away from 300 IPL sixes, joining Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma. He starts fast this season, striking at 174 in his first 10 balls.

DC’s pace attack has been tight, conceding 8.97 runs per over. They face an RCB side that scores quickly against pace at 177.61. Kuldeep’s 9.8 economy is high for him, and he will want a turnaround. At Chinnaswamy, spinners have gone at 9.09 since IPL 2024, which is around average.

Pitch and Conditions

The last game here was low-scoring. The pitch was dry and worn, so the ball held up.

Today should be different. The surface is expected to be hard with very little grass, so the ball should come nicely onto the bat. Since this is an afternoon match, there will be no dew. Spinners may still get some grip later. The short boundaries mean even mistimed shots can go for six.

At M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, chasing teams have won 55 of 103 matches, just over half. The average first innings score is around 167 though anything below 200 can feel unsafe in modern games.

The weather looks clear. It will be hot at 36°C with low humidity and no rain. A steady breeze may help swing early and affect lofted shots. No dew means one less factor to worry about.