NEW DELHI: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to face Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2026 fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. The build-up has been shaped by the way Virat Kohli was used in the previous match, when he came in as an Impact Player against Lucknow Super Giants.
In that encounter, Kohli had picked up an ankle concern during RCB’s win over Mumbai Indians and therefore missed the second innings against LSG. Even so, he still made a meaningful contribution, scoring 49 runs against Lucknow. That naturally leads to the biggest selection question for Saturday: will Kohli again be deployed as an Impact Player when RCB take on Delhi Capitals?
RCB have made a strong start to the season and are coming into this contest with just one loss to their name. Their only defeat has come against Rajasthan Royals, while they have followed it up with convincing wins over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants. With those results, they sit second in the points table, and a victory in Bengaluru could potentially move them to the top spot depending on other outcomes.
Beyond form, RCB also hold the upper hand in their head-to-head record with Delhi. Out of 33 meetings, Bengaluru have won 20, while Delhi Capitals have managed 12 wins, and one match has been washed out without a result. That record adds another layer of confidence to RCB’s approach as they aim to keep their momentum going.
On the team-combination front, Kohli is expected to be fully fit and could return as a regular member of the playing XI. However, RCB may still choose to be cautious with his workload, and if they decide to manage his physical demands, he could be called upon once again in the Impact Player role.
After the win over Lucknow Super Giants, Kohli shared that he is still working his way back to full readiness. He referenced both a knee issue and a short illness period, while also expressing satisfaction with how he batted. “Much better than the last game. I’m still not 100%. My knee was a bit sore in the last game. Even health-wise, I’ve been under the weather for four or five days now. So, just getting back up to my best. I started well today, so I was happy with my intensity. Again, would have liked to carry on and finish the game off. Sometimes you have to take the conditions into account as well. The pitch slowed down considerably, and I just wanted to keep going in the same manner. But yeah, in the end, should have probably finished that one off as well,” Kohli said following the LSG match.
Squads
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Philip Salt
- Virat Kohli
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Rajat Patidar (c)
- Jitesh Sharma (wK)
- Tim David
- Romario Shepherd
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Jacob Duffy
- Suyash Sharma
- Rasikh Salam Dar
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Jacob Bethell
- Swapnil Singh
- Mangesh Yadav
- Josh Hazlewood
- Jordan Cox
- Nuwan Thushara
- Vicky Ostwal
- Vihaan Malhotra
- Abhinandan Singh
- Kanishk Chouhan
- Satvik Deswal
Delhi Capitals
- KL Rahul (wk)
- Pathum Nissanka
- Nitish Rana
- Sameer Rizvi
- Axar Patel (c)
- Tristan Stubbs
- David Miller
- Vipraj Nigam
- Lungi Ngidi
- Kuldeep Yadav
- T Natarajan
- Mukesh Kumar
- Ashutosh Sharma
- Auqib Nabi Dar
- Dushmantha Chameera
- Karun Nair
- Mitchell Starc
- Kyle Jamieson
- Ajay Jadav Mandal
- Prithvi Shaw
- Tripurana Vijay
- Abishek Porel
- Sahil Parakh
- Madhav Tiwari
Stay tuned for live updates, including the latest IPL score movement, match reports, and the season’s race for the Orange and Purple Caps.
