Axar Patel Leads Delhi Capitals to Bowl First in IPL 2026 Against Punjab Kings

Axar Patel won the toss and Delhi Capitals chose to bowl first against Punjab Kings in Dharamsala during a crucial 2026 match.

DC captain's decision Axar Patel, captain of Delhi Capitals, called the toss and decided to bowl first in a high-stakes encounter against Punjab Kings at the Dharamsala venue. Axar explained that the pitch appears fresh and offers early assistance to pace bowlers. His choice came as teams batting first have claimed victory in four of the last five IPL games played here since 2023. ## DC's squad changes Delhi Capitals made five alterations to their playing XI. Sahil Parakh, Abishek Porel, David Miller, Madhav Tiwari, and Auqib Nabi earned their spots, while Pathum Nissanka and Kuldeep Yadav were dropped. Among the excluded players, Pathum Nissanka and Kuldeep Yadav represented the most notable omissions from the side. ## PBKS debutant announcement Punjab Kings named Ben Dwarshuis for his debut appearance, replacing Lockie Ferguson due to a minor injury concern. Additionally, Vijaykumar Vyshak was unavailable both in the initial XI and among the Impact Player options. As a result, Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, or Praveen Dubey are expected to step in as the Impact Player when the bowling phase begins. ## Dharamsala pitch dimensions The stadium in Dharamsala has been recognized as a venue favoring high-scoring matches. Its square boundaries measure 63 metres and 65 metres, while the straight boundary extends to 72 metres, contributing to the ground's batting-friendly nature. ## PBKS playing XI and bench Punjab Kings' starting lineup featured Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh as wicketkeeper, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer leading the side, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, debutant Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal. On the bench as Impact Players were Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, and Praveen Dubey. ## DC playing XI and bench Delhi Capitals fielded Abishek Porel, KL Rahul as wicketkeeper, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel captaining the side, Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi, and Mukesh Kumar. The Impact Player substitutes included Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, T Vijay, Pathum Nissanka, and Vipraj Nigam.