IPL 2026: Punjab Kings Face Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium

New Delhi. In the 35th match of IPL 2026, Punjab Kings are set to compete against Delhi Capitals. The match will take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, starting at 3:45 PM.

In the points table, Punjab Kings hold the top spot with 11 points from 6 matches. The team has won 5 games, while one match against Kolkata was abandoned due to rain. On the other hand, Delhi Capitals are in sixth place with 3 wins and 3 losses from 6 matches.

These two teams have faced each other 34 times so far. Delhi has won 16 matches, Punjab Kings have won 17, and one match ended in a tie. Last season, they played only one match, which was won by Delhi.

• Pressure on Delhi's Middle Order

Delhi Capitals' biggest concern is their unstable batting. KL Rahul, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, and Sameer Rizvi have performed well. However, opener Pathum Nissanka is struggling to convert good starts into big scores, which is increasing pressure on the middle order.

Captain Axar Patel needs to take more responsibility in batting. Sameer Rizvi has scored 209 runs in 6 matches at a strike rate of 150 and is the team's highest run-scorer. In bowling, Lungi Ngidi leads with 7 wickets.

In the previous match, some of Axar Patel's captaincy decisions were criticized. He chose to bowl Nitish Rana instead of himself or key bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav against Abhishek Sharma, which proved costly. Additionally, Delhi's poor fielding has been a major cause of their losses. The team has missed crucial opportunities through missed stumpings, run-outs, and dropped catches.

• Punjab Kings: The Most Balanced Team of the Season

Punjab Kings have posted the highest total of this season, 254 runs, against Lucknow. The team's main strength is their deep batting lineup. Opener Prabhsimran Singh (211 runs) and captain Shreyas Iyer (208 runs) are in excellent form.

Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly have also strengthened the team. Connolly is the team's highest run-scorer with 223 runs.

The secret to Punjab's success is that they are not dependent on any single bowler. The bowling attack of Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marco Jansen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Xavier Bartlett is consistently taking wickets. Arshdeep Singh is the team's top wicket-taker with 6 wickets.

• Pitch Report

The pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium is considered favorable for batting in the IPL. Due to the flat pitch and short boundaries (60–66 meters), it often produces 'high-scoring' games.

So far, 98 IPL matches have been played on this pitch. The team batting first has won 48 times, while the chasing team has won 50 times. One match was abandoned.

• Weather

On April 25, the weather at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium is expected to be hot. There is a negligible chance of rain. Temperatures are expected to be around 30 to 35 degrees Celsius, with some humidity.

Predicted Playing-12 for both teams

• Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wicketkeeper), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Vijaykumar Vyshak.
• Delhi Capitals: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (captain), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T. Natarajan, and Mukesh Kumar.