The post IPL 2026 DC vs RR: Mitchell Starc resurrects Capitals’ playoff hopes appeared first on SportsMint Media.
In match 62 of the TATA IPL 2026, Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by five wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
With DC bowling first, Mitchell Starc was unquestionably the outstanding bowler. Starc single-handedly demolished RR’s middle-order engine, taking three wickets in the 15th over, including a well-set Riyan Parag, while nearly missing a hat-trick. While the DC bowlers were originally hammered in the powerplay and middle overs, Starc, Lungi Ngidi, and Madhav Tiwari’s collective death-overs limitation was remarkable, reducing RR’s projected total of 210+ to 193.
Delhi’s chase of 194 was expertly guided by a scorching 105-run opening combination between Abhishek Porel (51) and KL Rahul (56). Porel made the most of the powerplay, while Rahul timed his innings well, scoring a calm half-century. Though a mini-collapse in the middle overs threatened to derail the pursuit, with quick wickets putting RR back into the game, Axar Patel came through with a cool, unbeaten 34 from 18 balls. Ashutosh Sharma produced the ideal finish, scoring a boundary and a six in the last over to secure the 5-wicket win.
RR got off to a flying start owing to teenage wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi‘s quickfire 46, which was followed by excellent half-centuries from skipper Parag (51) and Dhruv Jurel (53). At 160/2 after 14 overs, RR appeared to be on pace for a big score. However, the batting lineup utterly collapsed in the final six overs. Starc’s three-wicket over sparked a stunning collapse, as the lower order failed to capitalise on the superb foundation, falling at least 15-20 runs short on a flat Delhi surface.
RR’s bowling unit struggled early on owing to sloppy lines and a costly blunder in the field, as Yash Raj Punja missed a critical catch of KL Rahul in the first over. While Jofra Archer and Dasun Shanaka bowled strong lengths in the middle session, picking up opportune breakthroughs and generating momentary pressure, tactical errors proved costly. Riyan Parag’s choice to send the 18th over to part-timer Donovan Ferreira backfired spectacularly, conceding 16 runs to Axar Patel and entirely swinging the momentum back to Delhi.
With this win, DC now have 12 points and are seventh in the standings.
Scorecard:
Rajasthan Royals: 193/8, Overs 20, Dhruv Jurel 53, Mitchell Starc 4/40
Delhi Capitals: 197/5, Overs 19.2, KL Rahul 56, Jofra Archer 2/35
The post IPL 2026 DC vs RR: Mitchell Starc resurrects Capitals’ playoff hopes appeared first on SportsMint Media.