Delhi Capitals Defeated Lucknow Super Giants in comfortable fashion by six wickets after early ups and downs in Match 5 of the 2026 Indian Premier League at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
Invited to bat, LSG's innings never got going and they were bowled out for 141 runs. Delhi executed their bowling plans to perfection, with Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan taking three wickets each. Kudeep Yadav and Axar Patel tightened the noose in the middle overs as LSG continued to lose. Marsh's 35 and Abdul Samad's 36 runs, full of attractive shots, took the Super Giants past 140.
In reply, Delhi's innings began with the wicket of KL Rahul on the very first ball as he lofted a lofted drive to third-man off Mohammed Shami. Delhi's score at the end of the powerplay was 33/4, while Lucknow bowled brilliantly on a helpful wicket.
Sameer RizviComing in as an impact player, he along with Tristan Stubbs took Delhi Capitals home with an unbeaten 119-run partnership. He withstood the pressure and once set, attacked the Lucknow bowlers and gave the Capitals victory with seventeen balls to spare. Rizvi remained unbeaten on 70 off just 47 balls, while Stubbs remained unbeaten on 39.
talking points
1) New role for Rishabh Pant?
Many were surprised when LSG captain Rishabh Pant came out to open with Mitchell Marsh instead of South Africa's Aiden Markram, who was Marsh's trusted partner in 2025. Pant did not have a good performance, he was unfortunately run out as a stray ball from Marsh hit the stumps after hitting the hands of Mukesh Kumar. Whether this was a move to deal with the threat of left-arm spinner Axar Patel or a genuine fixture for the season is still not known.
2) Natarajan made an impressive comeback
T Natarajan missed most of the 2025 season due to injury. Given his talent as a death bowler, the Tamil Nadu pacer was signed by Delhi Capitals for Rs 10.75 crore. And he proved them right by taking 3 wickets for 29 runs in his four overs. He was the best bowler for the Capitals, outclassing the Lucknow batsmen with his control and variety. His form in the absence of Mitchell Starc will be key with his left-arm angle as the point of difference.
3) Rescue work of Sameer Rizvi
In 2024, Sameer Rizvi was signed as one of the most talked about uncapped players for Rs 8.40 crore but he failed to perform as per his price and potential. In the last mega auction before the 2025 season, Delhi Capitals picked him up for Rs 95 lakh. A year later, he was given preference over Delhi's reliable finisher Ashutosh Sharma and he repaid the faith with a brilliant unbeaten 70 off 47 balls, an innings of maturity and composure that saved Delhi from early trouble.
who said what?
Rishabh Pant, Captain of Lucknow Super Giants
“The best way to recover from my dismissal is to ignore it because you can't control it. The way we batted, we couldn't build partnerships for long. The plan was to get Pooran at No. 5 in the middle overs. We had to bring in someone who could add some runs as an impact player because we didn't have enough runs on a good pitch. There was a role defined for Badoni, when we lose early wickets, that's the time when We wanted to find the left-arm spinner at the top, but you can't put pressure on the opposition with 20 overs and try to stop them under 140, but we will definitely look at the top order.
Akshar Patel, captain of Delhi Capitals
“The game was over quickly but it got close in the middle. We just needed a partnership and that's what we talked about at the break. Very happy with the bowling effort. When we started with the ball, we knew there was a bit of help for the bowlers, whoever was coming on to bowl was informed. You see how the match is going, there was a big and short boundary, and I was looking at who I could bowl to, in the end I guessed wrong. The plan was to play Rizvi, but Ashutosh Sharma did the same in the first game and this time he keeps asking how he can improve himself.
Sameer Rizvi, Player of the Match
“The coaches supported me in the practice sessions, told me I would bat at No. 4 and gave me confidence. We had good sessions and I try to repeat it. If you play at a particular venue you know how to play, my state matches are played here [Lucknow]So I knew how to proceed. The plan was to be positive, but we lost two wickets in an over, so we decided to bat deep and the same was discussed with Stubbs. I tried to take away the loose ball and that was my plan throughout the innings.”
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