New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul top-scored with a composed 56 off 42 balls as Delhi Capitals sealed a thrilling five-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Sunday. The win has lifted DC from eighth to seventh place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 standings, as they signed off from their home fixtures in IPL 2026 on a high.

After Mitchell Starc’s 4-40 kept a marauding RR to 193/8, Rahul anchored the chase with his characteristic calmness, while sharing a key 105-run partnership with Abishek Porel, who hit 51 off 31 balls.

Ashutosh Sharma then stepped in late as the impact player to steer DC home via an unbeaten five-ball 18, as it proved to be a tense, see-saw contest that swung repeatedly before the hosts finally held their nerve and completed the chase with four balls to spare, and kept their slim playoffs hopes alive.

Chasing 194, Rahul had not even settled at the crease when fortune intervened, as Yash Raj Punja dropped him at short fine leg off Jofra Archer, apart from an overthrow giving DC four extra runs. Keeping all that aside, Rahul and Porel set about dismantling the RR bowling attack with a combination of audacity and intent, as DC reached fifty in just four overs.

Porel, the aggressor from the outset, drove and whipped Archer for a four and six, before ramping, cutting, pulling, and punching Brijesh Sharma for four boundaries. Rahul, meanwhile, was doing what he does best – rotating strike and hitting boundaries off loose balls with surgical precision. When Adam Milne dropped short in the fifth over, he rocked back and smoked a pull flat over deep mid-wicket for six.

The hundred of the opening pair – DC’s second 100-plus opening stand of IPL 2026 and both coming versus RR – arrived in the ninth over when Rahul pumped Punja straight over the sight screen for six. Porel brought up his fifty off 30 balls before holing out to long-on off a slower ball from Brijesh in the 11th over, even as an unperturbed Rahul reached his fifty in the 12th over off 34 balls.

RR’s move to bring back Archer for his third over worked well when he drew a rash drive from Sahil Parakh, and a thick outside edge was comfortably caught by Dhruv Jurel. Dasun Shanaka dealt a huge blow to DC when Rahul attempted to punch off his slower delivery, but chopped on to his stumps without any footwork.

The pressure of the asking rate going past ten brought out sloppy misfields from RR, but it consumed Tristan Stubbs, who shaped for a pre-mediated scoop, but was caught by a sprinting deep backward square leg. But some respite came for DC – Axar Patel sliced Archer for four, followed by him and David Miller lofting Donovan Ferreira for a six each.

With 19 runs needed off 12 balls, a twist came when Miller pulled to deep mid-wicket off a slower ball from Brijesh. But with ones and twos coming in, including a wide, Ashutosh diffused tension by heaving Brijesh for six, before RR missed a run-out chance.

With seven runs needed off the final over, RR were charged with an over-rate penalty, and as they were allowed only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle, Ashutosh drove Milne down the ground for four, before pulling over deep mid-wicket for six to seal the chase in style for DC.

Brief scores:

Rajasthan Royals 193/8 in 20 overs (Dhruv Kurel 53, Riyan Parag 51; Mitchell Starc 4-40, Lungi Ngidi 2-24) lost to Delhi Capitals 197/5 in 19.2 overs (KL Rahul 56, Abishek Porel 51; Jofra Archer 2-35, Brijesh Sharma 2-44) by five wickets

–IANS

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