Delhi Capitals beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 40 runs in the last group stage match of the Indian Premier League 2026. Delhi Capitals were batting first and got off to a great start with KL Rahul completing a half century to set up the platform. Miller provided the finishing touches as DC went past the 200 run mark. Chasing the target, Kolkata Knight Riders lost the wicket of Finn Allen early but Ajinkya Rahane kept them in the game with a crucial half century. Delhi Capitals bounced back after the 10th over and kept picking up wickets to dent the chase. Delhi Capitals won the game comprehensively and end the season on a positive note.
DC 203/5 (KL Rahul 60, Saurabh 2/28)
KKR 163 (Rahane 63, Ngidi 3/27)
Lungi Ngidi: (on finishing the season with a win) Tonight was good. We’ve had an up-and-down season, so to be able to finish on a high the way we did makes it easier to look back and see where we went wrong because obviously we put great performances together towards the end. Now we know what we’re capable of doing and it’s just about minimizing the small errors next time. (on developing his slower ball) Yeah, for years. It took me years. I started in 2018 with our mentor actually, and we speak about it every time we see each other. It’s taken years to build the confidence to bowl it where I want to bowl it. To be able to bowl it on the yorker line or at least close to there makes it a lot easier when I want to change the length or when I want to bowl a pace-on yorker. It just gives me a few more variations. (on carrying confidence from the World Cup into the IPL) Yeah, when you play in certain conditions and you do well, that just builds your confidence. You’ve seen some of the batters - once they get going or once they have one good knock, it seems like everything just falls into place. So that World Cup for me, being able to perform like that, pretty much showed me that I can do it in these conditions. I came in with heaps of confidence and just continued from where I left off. (on the team’s season overall) At one stage, it looked like we were going to scrape the bottom of the table. One of the biggest things we were talking about was pride. We definitely weren’t a bottom-of-the-table team if you looked at us on paper. Then you see some of the performances we’ve been able to put out and you start to think maybe if we had done this better or that better, we might have been in the playoffs. Definitely happy to end on this note. (on the fielding efforts and Mitchell Starc’s catches) Yeah, he’s making us step our game up. One thing I’ve noticed while he’s been here is that he’s an absolute athlete. I’ve seen the guy run from long-on to long-on the whole game and still come back and bowl 140-kph yorkers. Just being able to see that, I obviously go back to the drawing board and look at myself. Playing alongside another international like that gives you an extra level of confidence. Seeing him do that just puts a big smile on my face.
Ajinkya Rahane | KKR skipper:
(on his innings and the season overall) Yeah, I mean, the wicket was a little tricky at the start. I was batting really well and knew one batter had to go through, so I tried to take my chances. I was actually looking to target strike rotation as well. Talking about the kind of season we had, I’m really proud of each and every one. The situation we were in after six games and then from there coming back, keeping the league alive and playing that kind of cricket needed character, a good attitude and resilience. I’m really proud of each and every individual. (on the positives from the second half of the season) Absolutely, there are a lot of positives. In the first half of the season there were key moments where we were losing out, but after that, coming back from there is never easy. IPL is a long tournament with a lot of pressure and high-pressure situations. But again, staying strong, having that character and attitude in every game and trying your best for the team - inside the dressing room we all were really happy. As I said, every individual put in that effort by going out there. This season didn’t go our way and we didn’t qualify, which is disappointing, but I’m really proud of everyone and the kind of effort we put in. (on what happens after the IPL season ends) I think at the moment the guys have their commitments. We’ll just go off to our homes, probably take some time off and then obviously we’ll probably connect over calls or Zoom and have discussions moving forward. (on his personal plans after the season) For me, just a couple of days off. I’m going to play my local league in Mumbai, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m happy as long as I’m playing cricket. So yes, a couple of days off and then back to cricket.
Axar Patel | DC skipper: (Translated from Hindi)
(on finishing the season strongly despite the disappointment) I would say that in the last three matches, the way we played, even when you know things are not going well, the way the team fought after that, I am very proud. No one thought that we would just give up and think we are already out. Things were not going well, but still the effort in the last matches, I am very proud of that. (on the positives and takeaways from the season) Firstly, you have to accept your mistakes. After that, you realize what you need to do better. That is the positive you have to take forward. If you talk about one match, if just one match had gone differently, things could have been very different. I think the last time we played good cricket, it was just about one match. If that one match had gone our way, we would have been talking differently. Like we spoke about at the toss, moments like catches were very important. If that had happened, today we would have been in a different position. (on what he has learned about himself as captain during difficult phases) I have learned that obviously the IPL is a tournament where you have to take care of everyone. But at the end, if you are in a good frame of mind, then only you can handle everything properly. If you are not in a good frame of mind, then you can take wrong decisions or get frustrated and do something else. I think it is very important to stay calm. If I feel that things are not going well or I am getting frustrated, I give myself time and first relax my own mind. Because I will be able to relax other people only if I am in a good frame of mind. (on the strongest team among the qualifiers) I think SRH are looking very strong. When their top 3 score runs, that team becomes very difficult to stop. So I think SRH.
Kuldeep Yadav | Player of the Match:
(on his emotions after the season and this performance) I’m happy, extremely happy with whatever has gone through right through the season. To be very honest, I wasn’t happy before this match because the way we wanted as a team to have a great season, we couldn’t finish in the top four. Personally, I thought I didn’t have a great season, to be very honest, because I was expecting more from myself but couldn’t deliver this season. But after the last game, I went back home and worked with my coach on the things I needed to improve. I played one game there and realised it was just the small things you forget very quickly, especially in white-ball cricket. To go there, work on those things and come back here and bowl like that, it was lovely to see. (on what he felt was going wrong with his bowling) I thought I was bowling a bit more open-chested and sometimes not using my full body. What happens then is you just push the ball and that’s where T20 batters become extremely strong to hit you down the ground and play off the back foot. Once you start using more of your body and try to spin the ball harder, ultimately you see the results. You get the dip and the drift and obviously you can vary the pace as well. It was lovely to see and I think it was a lovely game for me, especially coming back from the last game. (on his wickets and bowling plans despite carrying an injury) Obviously, I was very clear with my plan. I saw early on that the wicket was a bit slow and I was just trying to vary the pace, mix it up with scrambled seam and try to deceive the batter. The wicket of Rinku was a perfect example because I tried to slow it down through the air and he played it straight away, so it was a good ball to get him out. (on narrowly missing out on a hat-trick) It happens in the game and I’m very happy with the performance, to be very honest. Getting a hat-trick or not is just part of the game, but the way I bowled, I’m pleased now. (on going back to basics in T20 cricket) Hundred percent. When I spoke to my coach, he was really straightforward with me and said, “Boss, you need to spin the ball. Try to deceive the batter.” I understand that batters are going hard against you, but when you’re spinning the ball, you always have a chance to get them out. I also wasn’t using my full body in the last couple of games. I thought I bowled well in patches, but when you miss something in your run-up or rhythm, it ultimately affects your game.
