Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals Prediction & Preview – IPL 2026 55th Match
Match summary
Punjab Kings face Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala in IPL 2026 match 55. Our preview covers likely XIs, a pace-friendly pitch, cool weather and scores.
Match details
| Match | Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals, 55th Match |
|---|---|
| Series | Indian Premier League 2026 |
| Date | 11 May 2026 |
| Start time | 2:00 pm GMT / 7:30 pm local |
| Venue | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala |
| Status | Played |
| Our pick | Punjab Kings |
| Toss pick | Punjab Kings |
Matches in this series
Match preview
Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals meet in the 55th match of IPL 2026 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, where cool air and altitude can help the quicker bowlers.
Punjab’s likely XI includes Prabhsimran Singh, Cooper Connolly, captain Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge and Marcus Stoinis, with Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal in the attack.
Delhi are expected to field KL Rahul, Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma, with either Abishek Porel or Vipraj Nigam in one slot. Axar Patel leads, and Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi and T Natarajan form the bowling group. Power-hitters can target the shorter straight boundaries, and slower balls and yorkers should be vital at the death.
Dharamsala is expected to give a good balance between bat and ball. Cool conditions and a grassy surface should help fast bowlers early with bounce, pace and swing. Batters may need time to settle but can then play freely, helped by a quick outfield. Spinners should get little turn, and dew at night often makes chasing easier.
On 11 May at 7:30 pm Dharamsala is expected to be cool and pleasant at 15–18°C, with cloud cover throughout. There is a chance of light rain or isolated storms, though long interruptions are not likely. Humidity may rise later, bringing dew in the second innings, and seamers may get swing under lights.
Expected scores
| Innings | Predicted | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| First innings | 185–205 | – |
| Second innings | 175–195 | – |
Punjab Kings
Punjab are at home in Dharamsala’s pace-friendly conditions and have a more powerful batting line-up, so they get the nod.
Toss pick: Punjab Kings
FAQ
Who will win PBKS vs DC?
Our preview picks Punjab Kings, who play at one of their home venues.
Will the weather affect the game?
It will be cool, with some cloud and a chance of light rain or storms, but long delays are not expected.
Is 190 enough to defend at Dharamsala?
Our preview thinks it can still be defended if the seamers do well at the death, despite the likely dew.
Probable XIs
Expected line-ups from our preview. c = captain, wk = wicketkeeper.
Punjab Kings
- Prabhsimran Singhwk
- Cooper Connolly
- Shreyas Iyerc
- Shashank Singh
- Suryansh Shedge
- Marcus Stoinis
- Marco Jansen
- Lockie Ferguson
- Vijaykumar Vyshak
- Arshdeep Singh
- Yuzvendra Chahal
Delhi Capitals
- KL Rahulwk
- Pathum Nissanka
- Nitish Rana
- Sameer Rizvi
- Tristan Stubbs
- Abishek Porel / Vipraj Nigam
- Ashutosh Sharma
- Axar Patelc
- Mitchell Starc
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Lungi Ngidi
- T Natarajan
Head-to-head
Earlier meetings of Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals that we covered.