Delhi Capitals (DC) got their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign off to a winning start, courtesy an unbeatean 70 off 47 balls from Sameer Rizvi, helping them seal a six-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Gianst (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium on Wednesday, April 1.
After winning the toss, DC captain Axar Patel opted to bowl first, making a bold statement saying, "Data says a lot of matches are won by the team batting first, but we thought it's the first game and we will bowl."
The decision paid handsome dividends as Delhi bundled out the home side for just 141 in 18.4 overs with Lungi Ngidi (3/27) and T Natarajan (3/29) wreaking havoc with the ball.
Mitchell Marsh (35) and Abdul Samad (36) provided the sole resistance for LSG with only five batters managing to reach double-digits in front of their home crowd.
The DC chase began in unceremonious fashion as KL Rahul was sent back on a 'Golden Duck' on the very first delivery by Mohammed Shami. His fellow opener Pathum Nissanka managed just 1 run while captain Axar was also dismissed on a 'Golden Duck' by Prince Yadav as DC were reduced to 26/4 inside the first five overs.
However, 22-year-old Sameer Rizvi and South African Tristan Stubbs joined forces to stitch together an unbeaten 119-run partnership off just 76 balls and snuff out any hope of a win for the home team.
Rizvi was the more destructive of the two, smashing 5 fours and 4 sixes and finishing with a strike-rate of 148.93, the highest by any batter in the game. Stubbs scored a steady 39 not out off 32 balls, playing the role of anchor while Rizvi went after the LSG bowling attack.
Here is how the IPL 2026 points table looks like after the Lucknow Super Gians v Delhi Capitals match.
| Teams | Matches Played | Wins | Losses | No Results | Points | Net Run Rate |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 4.171 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 2.907 |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 1.397 |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 0.687 |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 0.509 |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | -0.509 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | -0.687 |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | -1.397 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | -2.907 |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | -4.171 |
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