IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals’ strongest predicted XI against Punjab Kings

The Delhi Capitals (DC) return to the Arun Jaitley Stadium to take on the top-of-the-table Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Match 35 of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday, April 25. The afternoon game forms part of yet another weekend doubleheader.

DC come on the back of a 47-run defeat at the hands of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Axar Patel’s side has won two out of their last five games this season, with their most recent triumph coming against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where David Miller scored 16 runs off the final three balls to win them the game.

The 2020 finalists have a strong side, which had a bad day in the office in Hyderabad last time around. The team is well-balanced with hard-hitting opening batters along with excellent finishers and a tidy bowling unit. They just, however, need to be more consistent to have a shot at playoffs qualification.

Here is DC’s strongest predicted XI vs PBKS, Match 35, IPL 2026:

Top Order: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Rana

DC’s top order is heavily reliant on the form of KL Rahul. The wicketkeeper-batter is currently his side’s second-highest run-scorer this season with 205 at a strike-rate of 166.66. Pathum Nissanka, however, has lacked consistency, scoring at an average of just 22.66.

The Capitals had a minor issue with the number three slot, but that seems to have been rectified with Nitish Rana’s half-century in the previous game against SRH.

Middle Order: Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (C), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs

DC’s middle order has a lot of firepower, with batters capable of scoring big in the middle and towards the end. Sameer Rizvi is currently the leading run-scorer of his team, hitting 209 runs at a strike-rate of 150.35 whilst averaging close to 42. 

Stubbs, on the other hand, has not scored at the highest of strike-rates, but averages 65.33 in the middle order, while Miller comes towards the end to strike at 160.31.

Bowlers: Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar

An excellent combination of pace and spin, DC’s bowling has contributed equally in terms of wickets taken this season. South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi is the highest wicket-taker for the Capitals, with seven scalps to his name, while captain Axar Patel is close behind with six at an economy rate of 7.94.

Kuldeep Yadav and Mukesh Kumar, meanwhile, have five wickets each, though slightly on the expensive side.  DC are expecting Mitchell Starc to return from his injury sooner rather than later, with the 36-year-old looking to make a comeback early next month. 

DC’s predicted playing XI vs PBKS in Match 35, IPL 2026:

Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (C), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar
 
Impact Player: Ashutosh Sharma