Sahil Parakh, an emerging batter from Maharashtra, made his Indian Premier League debut for Delhi Capitals during their 2026 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

The 18-year-old was handed his maiden cap as the franchise made changes to its playing XI, looking to test fresh talent in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Opens innings alongside KL Rahul

Parakh was included as an opening batter and partnered experienced wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul at the top. The move reflected Delhi Capitals’ intent to experiment with their batting combination and give exposure to young players in high-pressure games.

Short stay at the crease

The debut outing did not last long for the youngster, as he was dismissed early in the innings. Despite the brief appearance, the opportunity marked an important milestone in his career.

Promising name from domestic circuit

Parakh is a left-handed batter who has impressed in age-group and domestic cricket, earning attention for his performances at the state level. His selection in the Delhi Capitals squad for IPL 2026 underlines the franchise’s focus on nurturing young talent for the future.

The much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 encounter between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) has hit a weather hurdle. Scheduled to take place at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, the toss for Match 13 has been officially delayed due to persistent rain in the city.

Rain intensifies at Barsapara Stadium

The Guwahati weather has taken a turn for the worse as heavy drizzle forced the groundstaff to keep the pitch and square under covers. While the rain had momentarily eased, allowing for a brief inspection, it returned shortly after, frustrating both fans and players. According to media reports, the probability of rain during match hours has surged to nearly 50%, a significant increase from earlier forecasts.

Cut-off time and over reductions

As the clock ticks, the pressure on the match officials increases. Overs were scheduled to start being reduced from 8:40 PM IST. For those hoping for at least a shortened game, the cut-off time for a minimum five-over-a-side contest has been established at 10:56 PM IST. The city remains under a weather alert, with cloud cover expected to be a major factor throughout the evening.

High-stakes encounter on hold

Rajasthan Royals enter this game with a perfect record, having won their first two matches of the season. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians, led by Hardik Pandya, are looking to bounce back after a mixed start. A key highlight of this match is the potential battle between 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and the experienced Jasprit Bumrah.

Historically, the two teams share a fierce rivalry, with Mumbai holding a slight edge with 16 wins compared to Rajasthan’s 14 in their 31 previous meetings.

Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and opted to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2026 match in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Lucknow Super Giants, led by Rishabh Pant, enter the new season with a fully fit squad after dealing with several injury concerns last year. The team has strengthened its pace attack with the addition of experienced fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Anrich Nortje, while Mohsin Khan is also returning from injury. Young pacer Prince Yadav has impressed during practice sessions leading up to the match.

Pant said the team is entering the season with a positive mindset and does not expect dew to play a major role in the match. He confirmed that Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran and Anrich Nortje are the four overseas players in the playing XI.

Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, are looking for a more stable batting order this season after trying multiple opening combinations last year. The team had started strongly in the previous season but lost momentum in the middle phase of the tournament.

Axar Patel said the team decided to bowl first considering the fresh pitch conditions, which could help bowlers early in the match.

Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul, Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar.

Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, Mohsin Khan, Mohammed Shami, Anrich Nortje, Prince Yadav.

Impact substitutes

Delhi Capitals: Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair.
Lucknow Super Giants: Digvesh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akshat Raghuvanshi.