No Signs Of Matheesha Pathirana; Axar Patel Takes Tough Call: DC vs KKR Toss Report

Axar Patel and Ajinkya Rahane - (Source: ScreenGrab/X.com)

On Friday, May 8, Delhi Capitals hosted Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2026 match 51 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The two teams are placed 7th and 8th on the points table and a defeat would almost end their campaign. 

Talking about the toss, two captains - Axar Patel and Ajinkya Rahane walked down the middle for the coin flip. The luck favoured Kolkata Knight Riders as they opted to field first.

Shedding light on the team changes, KKR have named an unchanged XI.  For Delhi Capitals, they have made two changes. Mukesh Kumar and Vipraj Nigam return to the playing XI, replacing T Natarajan and Karun Nair.

DC vs KKR: Playing XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Cameron Green, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy

Delhi Capitals Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (c), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar

DC vs KKR: Captains Thoughts

Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders Captain): "We are going to bowl first. Last 3 games whatever we saw was quite different. 264, 160 and then low scoring game against RCB as well. It's important to see the wicket, see how it's playing and then it gets easier to bat on. It's all about playing good cricket for 40 overs."

"It is difficult to read the wicket. It is important to start, assess the conditions and react to the situations and conditions accordingly.

[on big gaps between games] It worked out well for us. When we went during that first big break, the mood was really important for the team's point of view. Mood in the group has been amazing. This game is all about starting fresh and doing well."

Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals Captain): "It doesn't matter to me much. Toss is not in your hands. As a team, you have to be ready to bat first or ball first."

"We have 2 changes. Mukesh comes in place of Natarajan. Vipraj Nigam comes in place of Karun Nair. I don't think it doesn't spin much here in Delhi. The ball holds a bit. The spinners get little help. The seamers also use slow bouncers or slower balls."

Also Read: Spot-Fixing Allegations Surface As Pakistan Spinner Bowls Six No Balls vs Bangladesh

DC vs KKR: Impact Sub

Kolkata Knight Riders: Finn Allen, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Tim Seifert

For KKR, Finn Allen is all set to return to the playing XI in the second innings to open the innings.

Also Read: Krunal Pandya Issues Official Statement On Fight With Nicholas Pooran During RCB vs LSG Match

Delhi Capitals: Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, David Miller

For Delhi Capitals, Kuldeep Yadav will return to the playing XI as an impact sub.

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