DC vs RCB preview: Can Bengaluru continue its dominance over Delhi? check head-to-head, pitch report, more

Delhi Capitals host Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday, 27 April, at 7:30 PM IST in Match 39 of IPL 2026.

DC are in a tight situation after 4 losses in their last 5 matches. With 3 wins out of their 7 games, Delhi are at Number 7 with a Net Run Rate of -0.184.

RCB, on the other hand, have been in top form this year. They have won 5 out of their 7 matches. With an NRR of +1.101, they are ranked 2nd on the IPL 2026 points table.

Head-to-Head Record

RCB and DC have faced each other 34 times in the IPL. RCB hold a clear advantage with 20 wins against DC's 13. One match ended without a result.

RCB's highest team total against DC stands at 215. Their lowest score in this fixture is 137. DC's best total against RCB is 196, and their lowest is 95.

RCB dominated this rivalry heavily during the 2011 to 2018 period. DC fought back strongly between 2019 and 2020, winning 4 consecutive matches.

RCB then reclaimed momentum with victories in 2021, 2022 and 2024. However, DC have won the most recent two encounters in 2025 and 2026.

At Arun Jaitley, these two teams have clashed 11 times. RCB won 7 of those encounters.

Virat Kohli is the all-time leading run-scorer in this fixture with over 1,149 runs. KL Rahul maintains a remarkable average of nearly 70 against RCB.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Axar Patel are among the top wicket-takers in the current 2026 season encounters between these sides.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Sandeep Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer (Impact Player)

The incident occurred while he attempted to take a catch against the Punjab Kings. He has been discharged from the hospital and is reported as stable. However, DC are expected to take a cautious approach with his recovery.

Dushmantha Chameera or Kyle Jamieson are the primary replacements to lead DC's pace attack. Mitchell Starc has joined the squad but is not yet available for selection. He is likely to be available only from 1 May onwards.

RCB batting coach Dinesh Karthik has confirmed that Phil Salt will miss tonight's match. The opener is recovering from an injury sustained during training.

Jacob Bethell is set to continue opening alongside Virat Kohli in Salt's absence. RCB are otherwise expected to field an unchanged side tonight. They are coming off a convincing victory over the Gujarat Titans.

Kuldeep Yadav is DC's leading spin option on this Delhi surface. He claimed 2/32 against RCB in their last encounter.

Axar Patel is approaching two historic IPL milestones simultaneously. The DC captain is closing in on 2,000 runs and 150 wickets in IPL.

Virat Kohli, one of the leading contenders for the Orange Cap, is Bengaluru’s leading run scorer with 328 runs this season. He needs just 111 more runs to become the first player to reach 9,000 IPL runs. Arun Jaitley Stadium is his hometown ground, making this fixture extra special.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of the top contenders for the Purple Cap, leads RCB's attack with 11 wickets. He is nearing 210 IPL wickets.

Rajat Patidar will play his 50th match for RCB tonight. He has scored 238 runs at a strike rate exceeding 210 this season.

The surface is flat and hard with consistent bounce throughout. The ball comes onto the bat beautifully, suiting aggressive stroke makers. Boundaries are short at just 65 to 68 metres on all sides.

The average first-innings total at this ground has surged to 212 runs this season. That is significantly higher than the historical ground average.

Pacers may find slight lateral movement with the new ball early. Spinners could extract some grip during the middle overs. However, short boundaries leave bowlers with very little margin for error.

Chasing is the preferred option due to heavy dew expected later. Dew makes it extremely difficult for bowlers to grip the ballin the second innings.

The weather will be exceptionally hot with temperatures around 36°C at the start. There is zero chance of rain, ensuring an uninterrupted 40-over contest tonight.

Bengaluru look to continue dominance. Delhi cannot afford to lose another match. Expect another high-scoring encounter tonight.