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IPL 2026: Ngidi Comes In As DC Elect To Bat Against CSK, Akeal, Gurjapneet Included

Chennai Super Kings: A fit-again Lungi Ngidi has returned for Delhi Capitals as captain Axar Patel won the toss and elected to bat first against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in match 48 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. A win for either of the two teams will brighten their chances of staying alive in the race for the playoffs. After winning the toss, Axar said, Ngidi, who was declared hundred percent fit by bowling coach Munaf Patel on the eve of the clash after recovering from an unfortunate head injury against the Punjab Kings last month, and completed a seven-day mandatory stand-down period, replaces fellow pacer Kyle Jamieson in the playing eleven. I think the surface looks good, and we feel its a very good pitch. Maybe in the second innings it might slow down a bit, so Id like to give that advantage to our bowlers. The way the tournament is going, its a very important match. But at the same time, its more important to focus on how youre playing. You cant think too much about points - if you do, you put extra pressure on yourself. Thats what weve been discussing as a team; we just want to play good cricket, and the points will take care of themselves. Weve lost some close matches, but if you look at the season overall, Im happy with the wins and performances. Thats what happens sometimes, but if we talk about cricket, Im very happy with the boys batting and bowling. In fielding, if we had done better, we could have been in a stronger position, he said. CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who got a roaring reception from the crowd dressed majorly in a yellow jersey, said he wanted to bowl first anyway and wasnt worried about losing the toss. With pace-bowling all-rounder Ramakrishna Ghosh ruled out of the competition due to a right foot fracture, CSK had to rejig their combination - left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Akeal Hosein and left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh have come into the playing eleven. The pitch looks a bit dry, so I dont think it will change much. So batting or bowling first wont make much difference. There have been some positive signs in the last 23 matches. Even though we havent won every game, there are some good positives. Since the first three matches of the tournament, weve improved a lot in all departments. Our bowling has been doing really well, and the batting is slowly coming together. We just want to carry that momentum into the last phase of the tournament. Were really happy coming into this game, especially after the last one. But this is a new game, so we want to start fresh and start well. Its also great to see youngsters getting opportunities and stepping up. Its a good sign for the franchise - they are repaying the faith shown by the management, he said. Tuesdays clash will be played on pitch number four, and the boundaries are 66 metres square on one side, while 60 metres is the boundary on the other side, and the 73 metres boundary stands straight down the ground. In the pitch report, Ian Bishop and Eoin Morgan noted that showers in the past 24 hours have cooled the conditions, but the surface remains rockhard and conducive for batting. Playing XIs: Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh Impact substitutes: Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Matt Short, Akash Madhwal, and Sarfaraz Khan Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh Also Read: Live Cricket Score Impact substitutes: Vipraj Nigam, Sameer Rizvi, Abishek Porel, Auqib Nabi Dar, and David Miller Article Source: IANS