Axar Patel won the toss and chose to bowl. For 14 overs, the decision looked catastrophic. Yashasvi Jaiswal started with three boundaries off Mitchell Starc’s opening over — a statement of intent from a batter who has made the Australian left-armer his personal punching bag this season. He fell for 12, but by then Rajasthan’s engine was already roaring.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi — the 15-year-old who has taken IPL 2026 by the throat — produced yet another breathtaking cameo. His 46 off 21 balls included five fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 219.05. He took Mukesh Kumar apart in the powerplay, driving through cover, pulling over midwicket, and lofting over extra cover as Rajasthan raced to 75 for 1 in the fielding restrictions. He was dropped on 31 by Sameer Rizvi — the kind of reprieve that usually costs matches — before Madhav Tiwari finally held a catch at long-off to end his innings.

Then came the partnership that should have sealed the match. Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag added 72 runs for the third wicket in just 35 balls — a stand of controlled brutality that pushed Rajasthan to 161 for 2 in 14.1 overs. Jurel, the wicketkeeper-batter, was the perfect foil: 53 off 40 balls with five boundaries and two sixes. He rotated strike, picked gaps, and accelerated smoothly. Parag was the aggressor. His 51 off 26 balls — three fours, five sixes — included a 23-run demolition of Mukesh Kumar in one over. At the crease, Parag was imperious. His slog sweeps off Axar Patel cleared the rope. His drives pierced the infield. Rajasthan were scoring at nearly 11.5 runs per over. A total of 220 looked conservative.

Then Mitchell Starc returned for the 15th over.

What happened over the next 15 deliveries belongs in a bowling textbook — and a Rajasthan horror anthology. Starc’s second ball: a slower full delivery outside off. Parag cleared his front leg and launched towards cow corner. Axar Patel, stationed at long-on, sprinted to his right and flung himself forward in a full-stretch dive, pouching the ball inches above the turf. Parag — 51 off 26 — was gone. Rajasthan: 161 for 3.

Two balls later, Donovan Ferreira walked in. Starc produced a near-identical delivery. Ferreira produced a near-identical shot. Axar, stationed at long-on again, produced a near-identical catch — his second in three balls. Ferreira: a golden duck. Rajasthan: 165 for 4. Starc was on a hat-trick.

Ravi Singh survived the hat-trick ball — a full toss he clipped for four — but Starc was not finished. The fifth delivery of the over: a slower ball that completely deceived the left-hander, struck him plumb on the pads. Umpire’s finger went up. Singh reviewed. Ball-tracking showed three reds. Rajasthan: 169 for 5. Three wickets in four balls. The match had been turned inside out.

The collapse was clinical. From 161 for 2, Rajasthan lost six wickets for 32 runs in the final 34 deliveries of their innings — finishing on 193 for 8. Lungi Ngidi, who had bowled with discipline throughout, cleaned up the tail. Starc returned to dismiss Dasun Shanaka for 10 to complete his four-wicket haul: 4 for 40 from four overs. What had been a batting paradise for 14 overs had become a graveyard. Rajasthan’s third consecutive defeat was taking shape.

Chasing 194 on a surface that had behaved beautifully for 14 overs before turning treacherous, Delhi Capitals needed a start of substance. KL Rahul and Abishek Porel delivered exactly that — a 105-run opening stand in 61 balls that broke the back of the chase before Rajasthan’s bowlers could settle.

Porel was the aggressor. His 51 off 31 balls — seven fours, one six, strike rate 164.52 — was an innings of clean, authoritative stroke-play. He drove Jofra Archer through cover, cut Adam Milne behind point, and lofted Brijesh Sharma over mid-off with the certainty of a man who knew this was his night. Rahul, at the other end, was the anchor. His 56 off 42 balls — three sixes, one four — was a study in controlled accumulation, pacing the chase so perfectly that by the time Jofra Archer finally removed Porel in the 11th over, Delhi were 105 for 1 and needed only 89 from 54 balls.

Archer briefly threatened to make a contest of it. He removed Porel with a sharp delivery that drew the outside edge, and Brijesh Sharma followed by dismissing Sahil Parakh for 9. When Tristan Stubbs fell for a scratchy 10 and David Miller for 6, Delhi were 159 for 4 — needing 35 from 26 balls. The silence in the Kotla crowd was heavy with the memory of collapses past.

Axar Patel then did what captains do. His unbeaten 34 off 18 balls — two fours, two sixes — was the finishing flourish that sealed the victory. He took Adam Milne for a six over long-off and then closed the chase with Ashutosh Sharma, whose unbeaten 18 off 5 balls included two boundaries that sent the remaining runs tumbling. Delhi reached 197 for 5 with four balls to spare. Rajasthan had lost their third consecutive match.