IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals finish season on a high with 40-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders

Delhi Capitals (DC) ended their Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) campaign on a high, beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 40 runs in the last league match on Sunday, May 24 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. After being asked to bat first, Delhi posted a good score of 203/5 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on a brilliant innings from KL Rahul (60 off 30) and a valuable contribution from captain Axar Patel (39 off 25).

In reply, KKR were bundled out for 163 in 18.4 overs with captain Ajinkya Rahane scoring a lone half-century. For DC, Lungi Ngidi and Kuldeep Yadav (3/39) scalped three wickets each, while Mitchell Starc (2/26, 3 overs) also contributed with two wickets. Meanwhile, the result had no impact on the campaigns of either side as both teams were knocked out of the tournament at the start of the game.

Following their win, Delhi finished sixth on the IPL 2026 points table with 14 points from as many games. On the other hand, Kolkata finished seventh with 13 points from 14 games.

Top run-scorer of the Match

Top wicket-taker of the Match

Player of the Match

Kuldeep Yadav was adjudged Player of the Match for his game-changing spell in the middle overs. He first got the big scalp of Cameron Green (2 off 3) and later dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Rinku Singh (0 off 1) off successive deliveries. Yadav almost got a hat-trick had Abhishek Porel taken Tejasvi Dahiya’s catch in his third over. He eventually finished with figures of 3/29 in four overs, playing a key role in DC’s victory.

Turning Point

Kolkata seemed well on course in their run chase, with captain Rahane showing them the way through his classy half-century. He seemed determined to take his team over the line as KKR were on 128/3 after 13.1 overs, needing 76 runs to win off 41 balls.  

However, he got holed out at long off against Kuldeep Yadav, which allowed KKR to claw their way back into the game. KKR lost three wickets within a space of six balls and collapsed to 129/6. From there on, DC strengthened their grip on the match and eventually sealed a brilliant win.

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals):

(on finishing the season strongly despite the disappointment) I would say that in the last three matches, the way we played, even when you know things are not going well, the way the team fought after that, I am very proud. No one thought that we would just give up and think we are already out. Things were not going well, but still the effort in the last matches, I am very proud of that. (on the positives and takeaways from the season) Firstly, you have to accept your mistakes. After that, you realize what you need to do better. That is the positive you have to take forward. If you talk about one match, if just one match had gone differently, things could have been very different. I think the last time we played good cricket, it was just about one match. If that one match had gone our way, we would have been talking differently. Like we spoke about at the toss, moments like catches were very important. If that had happened, today we would have been in a different position. (on what he has learned about himself as captain during difficult phases) I have learned that obviously the IPL is a tournament where you have to take care of everyone. But at the end, if you are in a good frame of mind, then only you can handle everything properly. If you are not in a good frame of mind, then you can take wrong decisions or get frustrated and do something else. I think it is very important to stay calm. If I feel that things are not going well or I am getting frustrated, I give myself time and first relax my own mind. Because I will be able to relax other people only if I am in a good frame of mind. (on the strongest team among the qualifiers) I think SRH are looking very strong. When their top 3 score runs, that team becomes very difficult to stop. So I think SRH.

Losing Captain, Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders):

(on his innings and the season overall) Yeah, I mean, the wicket was a little tricky at the start. I was batting really well and knew one batter had to go through, so I tried to take my chances. I was actually looking to target strike rotation as well. Talking about the kind of season we had, I’m really proud of each and every one. The situation we were in after six games and then from there coming back, keeping the league alive and playing that kind of cricket needed character, a good attitude and resilience. I’m really proud of each and every individual. (on the positives from the second half of the season) Absolutely, there are a lot of positives. In the first half of the season there were key moments where we were losing out, but after that, coming back from there is never easy. IPL is a long tournament with a lot of pressure and high-pressure situations. But again, staying strong, having that character and attitude in every game and trying your best for the team - inside the dressing room we all were really happy. As I said, every individual put in that effort by going out there. This season didn’t go our way and we didn’t qualify, which is disappointing, but I’m really proud of everyone and the kind of effort we put in. (on what happens after the IPL season ends) I think at the moment the guys have their commitments. We’ll just go off to our homes, probably take some time off and then obviously we’ll probably connect over calls or Zoom and have discussions moving forward. (on his personal plans after the season) For me, just a couple of days off. I’m going to play my local league in Mumbai, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m happy as long as I’m playing cricket. So yes, a couple of days off and then back to cricket.