Mitchell Starc was primed to start the innings with the new ball for Delhi Capitals in their high-stakes IPL 2026 meeting against Punjab Kings at Dharamsala. But Punjab’s opener Priyansh Arya changed the tone instantly—on the very first delivery he stepped out and lofted Starc for a massive six over cover point, forcing Delhi onto the back foot right away and igniting the crowd inside the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.
Priyansh’s opening-ball statement and a rare IPL milestone
The early hit also placed Priyansh into an exclusive group of batters who have managed to clear the ropes on the first ball of an IPL match. Only a select number of players have accomplished that particular feat in the league’s history.
- Naman Ojha hit a six off Brad Hodge (KKR) in Durban in 2009.
- Virat Kohli struck a six off Varun Aaron (RR) in Bengaluru in 2019.
- Phil Salt cleared the boundary off Nuwan Thushara (MI) in Kolkata in 2024.
- Priyansh Arya then did the same off Khaleel Ahmed (CSK) in Mullanpur in 2025.
- Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal had also launched a six off Mitchell Starc in Jaipur during this season (2026).
- Most recently, Priyansh Arya repeated the trick by smashing Starc for a first-ball six in Dharamsala in 2026.
First-ball sixes: the race reshuffled after Dharamsala
With this latest maximum, Yashasvi Jaiswal has kept the lead in the chart for the most sixes struck off the opening ball of an IPL innings, reaching four. Priyansh Arya’s boundary moves him into second place, now sitting on three first-ball sixes.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: 4 (most sixes off the first ball of an IPL innings).
- Priyansh Arya: 3 (second-highest tally).
Captain’s call, team changes, and debut for Punjab
Before a ball was even bowled, Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and elected to field first. Delhi then made five adjustments to their starting XI, bringing in Abishek Porel, Sahil Parekh, David Miller, Madhav Tiwari, and Aaquib Nabi.
Punjab Kings, in turn, handed a debut to Australian left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis, who came into the side in place of the injured Lockie Ferguson.
PBKS vs DC: Playing XIs
- Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
- Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Madhav Tiwari, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi Dar, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi.
