Nissanka & Rahul’s 110-Run Blitz
Script Record Jaipur Chase — RR’s Season Unravels
Riyan Parag’s magnificent 90 and Donovan Ferreira’s 47 off 14 balls had given Rajasthan Royals a total that seemed untouchable at their fortress in Jaipur. Then Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul walked out. What followed was the highest successful run chase at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in IPL history — 226 chased in 19.2 overs, with Mitchell Starc’s three-wicket return providing the only brief resistance.
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur — DC chased 226 here on May 1, 2026 — the highest successful run chase at this ground in IPL history. Nissanka and Rahul’s 110-run opening stand made it look routine.
RR Innings — 225 / 6 (20 Overs)
Riyan Parag won the toss and chose to bat — a confident call on a surface that had historically favoured batting first. RR lost both openers inside the first two overs for just 12 runs. Mitchell Starc — making his IPL 2026 debut — had Yashasvi Jaiswal caught in the first over for 6. Kyle Jamieson then bowled Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for 4 in the second. Two balls in, two wickets down — 12/2 in 2 overs.
But the match turned in the next six overs. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel put on 102 runs in 12 overs — the kind of partnership that turns a collapse into a competitive total. Jurel contributed 42 off 30, Parag was magnificent: 90 off 50 balls — 8 fours, 5 sixes — his highest score of IPL 2026, and the innings that kept RR alive until the 17th over. Jadeja joined Parag (20 off 14) before Starc returned to dismiss both in the same over — Jadeja caught at backward point, Parag dismissed for 90 top-edging a hard-length ball.
From 173/5 in the 17th over with RR already looking underpowered, Donovan Ferreira arrived and produced the madness. 47 not out off 14 balls. Strike rate: 335.71. Six sixes — three of them off Kuldeep Yadav in a single over. Ferreira transformed 173/5 into 225/6. Without his cameo, RR would have posted 195. With it, they briefly had a match.
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | c Starc b Starc | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 200.00 |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | b Jamieson | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Dhruv Jurel (wk) | c Axar b Jurel | 42 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 140.00 |
| Riyan Parag (c) ★ | c mid-off b Starc | 90 | 50 | 8 | 5 | 180.00 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | c b/p b Starc | 20 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 142.86 |
| Shubham Dubey | c Ashutosh b Natarajan | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Donovan Ferreira ★ (not out) | — | 47 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 335.71 |
| Jofra Archer (not out) | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Key Partnership: Parag & Jurel — 102 runs off 59 balls (3rd wkt, overs 2–11.4)
FOW: 6-1 (Jaiswal, 0.3) · 12-2 (Sooryavanshi, 1.5) · 114-3 (Jurel, 11.4) · 167-4 (Jadeja, 16.2) · 168-5 (Parag, 16.5) · 174-6 (Dubey, 19.2) [last 2 overs: Ferreira 47]
DC Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Starc ★ (IPL 2026 debut) | 4 | 0 | 40 | 3 | 10.00 |
| Kyle Jamieson | 4 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 12.00 |
| Axar Patel (c) | 4 | 0 | 39 | 1 | 9.75 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 4 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 10.25 |
| T Natarajan | 4 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 13.50 |
DC Chase — 226 / 3 (19.2 Overs) — Record!
Chasing 226 at Sawai Mansingh — a record that had never been successfully chased at this venue in IPL history. DC’s answer: 110 runs in 9.3 overs without losing a wicket. Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul — playing their first match together as DC’s opening partnership — produced the finest powerplay batting DC has managed in IPL 2026.
Nissanka, returning to the playing XI after being dropped, was the aggressor. His 62 off 33 balls — featuring 6 fours, 3 sixes — was his maiden IPL half-century, and included some shots of extraordinary quality: a flick for six off Jofra Archer’s first over, an on-driven boundary off Nandre Burger’s inswinger. By the end of the powerplay, DC were 70/0 — the chase had already shifted in their favour psychologically.
Jadeja’s arm-ball trapped Nissanka lbw for 62 in the 10th over. But Rahul kept going. He and Nitish Rana put on 61 more for the second wicket in 5 overs — Rana hitting 33 off 17 with 2 sixes before Tushar Deshpande had him caught. Rahul was then caught by Ferreira at long-on off Archer for 75 in the 16th over. DC were 177/3 needing 49 from 24 balls — difficult but manageable. Ashutosh Sharma (25 not out off 15) and Tristan Stubbs (17 not out off 11) finished the job with 4 balls to spare. 226 chased. History made. DC’s season revived.
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka ★ (Maiden IPL 50) | lbw b Jadeja | 62 | 33 | 6 | 3 | 187.88 |
| KL Rahul (wk) ★ — MOTM | c Ferreira b Archer | 75 | 40 | 6 | 5 | 187.50 |
| Nitish Rana | c Jurel b Deshpande | 33 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 194.12 |
| Tristan Stubbs (not out) | — | 17 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 154.55 |
| Ashutosh Sharma (not out) | — | 25 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 166.67 |
FOW: 110-1 (Nissanka, 9.3) · 171-2 (Rana, 14.3) · 177-3 (Rahul, 15.2)
RR Bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jofra Archer ★ | 4 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 11.50 |
| Nandre Burger | 3 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 13.67 |
| Tushar Deshpande | 4 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 9.50 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 3 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 11.00 |
| Ravi Bishnoi | 2 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 14.00 |
| Brijesh Sharma | 3.2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 10.50 |
Man of the Match
KL Rahul has been DC’s most consistent performer of IPL 2026 — and tonight he produced his best. 75 off 40 balls at SR 187.50, his 4th score above 50 in the season, and the innings that anchored the record chase. While Nissanka provided the explosive start, Rahul was the constant — scoring through gaps, pulling short balls for boundaries and hitting five sixes. Dismissed by Archer for 75 in the 16th over, with DC needing 49 off 24 — he had already won the match. As the Outlook India match report noted: “KL Rahul anchored the chase with a composed 75 off 40.”
Star Performers
Match Narrative
Toss & Team News: Riyan Parag won the toss and chose to bat — a decision that initially looked shrewd (both DC’s openers were in destructive powerplay form) but ultimately backfired. DC’s biggest team news: Mitchell Starc playing his first IPL 2026 match, replacing Kyle Jamieson who moved to the bench. Nissanka returned for DC, with Sahil Parakh dropping out. DC also deployed Ashutosh Sharma as impact player late in the chase.
RR’s Early Disaster — 12/2 in Two Overs: The home side got off to a great start with a first-ball six from Yashasvi Jaiswal (6 runs off 3 balls) before losing his wicket to returning Mitchell Starc two balls later. Kyle Jamieson then dismissed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (4 runs off 2 balls) in the very next over, as RR lost both openers with just 12 runs on the board. From tournament stars to dismissals in four balls — the harshest introduction for RR’s new-look opening pair.
Parag & Jurel’s Rescue Act: Dhruv Jurel (42 runs off 30 balls) then played some big shots to take the third-wicket stand with Parag to 102 before losing his wicket to Axar Patel. This partnership — across overs 2 to 12 — rebuilt RR’s innings from a near-impossible position to a competitive one. Parag attacked Kyle Jamieson particularly ferociously, scoring 32 off 12 from Jamieson.
Starc’s 17th Over — The Match’s Most Dramatic Moment: Mitchell Starc delivers a brilliant over for the team, striking twice to pull things back for DC just when RR were accelerating. First, Ravindra Jadeja falls to a slower short ball, guiding it straight to backward point. Then comes the big one, Riyan Parag departs for a superb 90, mistiming a lofted shot as the ball holds up, offering a simple catch at mid-off. Two balls. Two wickets. 173/5. Ferreira’s 47 from there was exceptional but the total was never enough.
The Chase — 110 Off 57 Balls: Pathum Nissanka set the tone with a blistering 62 off 33 in the powerplay, while KL Rahul anchored the chase with a composed 75 off 40. The pair added over 100 for the opening wicket, putting RR on the back foot early. It was once again the Donovan Ferreira show in the death overs for RR — but this partnership put DC in the driver’s seat, and they never really looked back as they finally got to taste victory in the IPL.
Starc’s double wicket over — Jadeja then Parag — was the single most pivotal bowling moment of the match. At 166/3 after 16 overs, RR needed a big finish to post 230+. Instead they lost two wickets in two balls and finished 225/6. Without those wickets, RR post 240+ and DC’s target becomes near-impossible. But the second turning point was ball one of DC’s chase — Nissanka’s flick for six off Archer. That shot declared DC’s intent and the match never changed momentum after it.
Post-Match Reactions
“Starc was brilliant on debut — those two wickets in the 17th over changed everything. And Nissanka and Rahul at the top — that’s a serious opening partnership. 226 in Jaipur is a big chase. The whole team believed. DC are back. We need to keep winning now and fight our way into the top 4.”
“I was disappointed with myself — 90 is not 100, and I should have finished that innings. Ferreira was brilliant at the end but we needed 10-15 more runs. DC’s opening pair was just outstanding. 226 is a record chase here and we need to be better with the ball if we’re going to defend totals like that.”
IPL 2026 Points Table — After Match 43
| # | Team | M | W | L | NR | Pts | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PBKS Punjab Kings | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 | — |
| 2 | RCB — Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 | — (Lost to GT) |
| 3 | SRH — Sunrisers Hyderabad | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 | — |
| 4 | RR Rajasthan Royals | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | LOST |
| 5 | GT — Gujarat Titans | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 | — (Beat RCB) |
| 6 | DC Delhi Capitals | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8 | WON ✓ |
| 7 | CSK — Chennai Super Kings | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 8 | MI — Mumbai Indians | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 9 | LSG — Lucknow Super Giants | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 10 | KKR — Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | — |