A few golden ducks and several early setbacks could not stop Delhi Capitals (DC) from registering their first win in their opening match of the IPL 2026 season. Chasing the target of 142 runs, they won the match with 6 wickets and 17 balls remaining.
The run immediately became difficult as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Mohammed Shami dismissed Delhi Capitals opener KL Rahul for a golden duck. Captain Akshar Patel also returned with a golden duck to his name. Despite several early setbacks, DC kept their nerve to make a comeback into the competition and eventually won the match against LSG at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
The pair of Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs ensured Delhi Capitals’ victory over LSG.
Sri Lanka international Pathum Nissanka (1) and IPL veteran Nitish Rana (15) also departed cheaply in the run chase. Delhi’s score in the second innings was 26 runs for 4 wickets and LSG was in the driving seat.
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While the experienced batsmen were caught off guard early on, two emerging players – Samir Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs – stood their ground to counter-attack against the thriving LSG bowlers.
Delhi Capitals included Rizvi as an impact player in their batting, and it worked for them tonight as the 22-year-old remained unbeaten on 70 off 47 balls, hitting a total of nine boundaries including five fours and six sixes. South African international Tristan Stubbs provided good support to Rizvi, scoring an unbeaten 39 runs off 32 balls with the help of three fours and a six.
Akshar Patel revealed that he faced a tough challenge in team selection.
Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant included seven bowlers in his defence, but they proved ineffective as Rizvi and Stubbs were open to all kinds of challenges.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, Patel revealed that he needed to choose between Sameer Rizvi and Ashutosh Sharma for the role of impact player. He also praised their bowling department for restricting the opposition to a reasonable score. Patel said that the partnership between Rizvi and Stubbs was essential during that phase of the match.
He (Sameer Rizvi) works hard on his game- Akshar Patel
Delhi Capitals captain Akshar Patel said after the match, “It was over early but it got close in the middle. We just needed a partnership and that’s what we talked about in the break. Very happy with the bowling effort. When we started with the ball, we knew there was a bit of help for the bowlers, whoever was coming to bowl, that was communicated.”
He said, “You see how the match was going, there were big and short boundaries, and I was looking at who I could bowl, in the end, I might have guessed wrong. The plan was to play Sameer Rizvi, but there was also the option of Ashutosh Sharma. Last year Ashu did it in the first game and this time Rizvi did it. He (Samir Rizvi) works hard on his game and keeps asking himself how to improve. Could.”
Read more: “We didn’t have enough”: Rishabh Pant takes responsibility after LSG’s batting failure in defeat to DC in IPL 2026
