The 26th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 brings us to the high-scoring haven of Bengaluru. The defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are flying high and looking to maintain their dominance, while the Delhi Capitals (DC) are desperate to snap a losing streak and climb back up the table.
RCB, led by Rajat Patidar, has looked every bit the defending champion this season. With 4 wins from 5 games, their balanced squad—anchored by the legendary Virat Kohli and reinforced by the pace of Josh Hazlewood—makes them a formidable opponent at home.
Delhi Capitals, under Axar Patel, started strong but has faltered recently, losing their last two fixtures. They’ll be leaning heavily on the explosive opening of Pathum Nissanka and the leadership/wicket-keeping of KL Rahul to counter the RCB juggernaut.
RCB vs DC, IPL 2026: Match details
- Date and Time: April 18; 3:30 pm IST / 10 am GMT
- Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
RCB vs DC, Head-to-Head Record in IPL
Matches played: 33 | RCB won: 20 | DC won: 12 | No result/Tied: 1
M Chinnaswamy Stadium Pitch report
The Chinnaswamy pitch is the “Batters’ Paradise.” Known for its flat deck, short boundaries, and high altitude, it is a ground where no total is truly safe. Expect a high-scoring encounter. The average first-innings score this season has hovered around 190. Teams winning the toss almost always choose to bowl first. Significant dew is expected in the second innings, making the ball slippery for spinners and facilitating easier stroke play for the chasing side. Pacers have taken more wickets here, but they often pay a heavy price in economy. Variations and accurate yorkers in the death overs will be crucial.
Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Jordan Cox, Kanishk Chouhan, Mangesh Yadav, Jacob Duffy, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Bethell, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Satvik Deswal
Delhi Capitals: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul(w), Sameer Rizvi, David Miller, Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Auqib Nabi Dar, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana, Mitchell Starc, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Tripurana Vijay, Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Madhav Tiwari
Also WATCH: Kagiso Rabada rattles KKR with fiery spell dismissing Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Tim Seifert in IPL 2026
RCB vs DC, IPL 2026: Today’s Match Prediction
Case 1:
- RCB win the toss and bowl first
- DC’s powerplay score: 45-55
- DC’s total score: 180-190
Case 2:
- DC win the toss and bowl first
- RCB’s powerplay score: 55-65
- RCB’s total score: 195-205
Match result: Team bowling first to win the contest.
