NEW DELHI: Young Maharashtra opener Sahil Parakh is set to make his Indian Premier League debut for Delhi Capitals on Monday, slotting into the top order alongside KL Rahul for their IPL 2026 encounter against the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital.
The 18-year-old has already tasted international age-group cricket, representing India at Under-19 level in 2024 before stepping into the Maharashtra setup. Last year, he got opportunities in two T20 appearances during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. During his Under-19 run, Parakh announced himself with a match-defining unbeaten knock of 109 from 75 balls against Australia.
Live Score: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Left-handed by trade and also capable of bowling leg-spin, Parakh was acquired by Delhi Capitals at the IPL 2026 auction for ₹30 lakh. Delhi skipper Axar Patel confirmed at the toss that the youngster would take Parthum Nissanka’s spot at the top of the order for the clash.
However, the debut quickly turned into a nightmare for Delhi, with Parakh being clean bowled by RCB senior seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the very first phase—resulting in a two-ball duck. That early blow left Delhi Capitals struggling at 0/1 after just 0.2 overs.
Axar Patel, speaking at the toss, said: “If we had won the toss, I would have fielded. The boundary sizes are small here and the pitch also improves, so we would have chased. In the IPL, you can score 264 and still lose, but it’s a long tournament. We had a good session with bat and ball; if we had taken our chances, the outcome would have been different. You have to keep working. Even the best fielders put down catches, so luck isn’t always on our side—but we can’t dwell on it. We’ve got two fast bowlers—Chameera and Jamieson are in the XI. We need impact during the powerplay. Mukesh has been doing well, but he needs a break, and that’s why we’re bringing in international bowlers.”
Who is Sahil Parakh?
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Full Name: Sahil Ulhas Parakh
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Age: 18 years 324 days
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Playing role: Left-handed batter and legbreak bowler
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SMAT record: M 2 | R 24 | HS 18 | Ave. 12.00 | SR 114.28
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Teams: Delhi Capitals, Maharashtra, India Under-19
DC vs RCB Playing XIs
Delhi Capitals XI
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Sahil Parakh
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KL Rahul (w)
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Nitish Rana
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Sameer Rizvi
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Tristan Stubbs
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David Miller
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Axar Patel (c)
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Dushmantha Chameera
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Kyle Jamieson
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Kuldeep Yadav
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T Natarajan
Royal Challengers Bengaluru XI
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Virat Kohli
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Devdutt Padikkal
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Rajat Patidar (c)
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Jitesh Sharma (w)
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Tim David
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Romario Shepherd
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Krunal Pandya
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar
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Josh Hazlewood
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Suyash Sharma
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Rasikh Salam Dar
Stay tuned for the latest IPL live score and IPL updates, including the schedule, points table, and the battle for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
