DC opt to bowl as Axar wins first away toss; Mayank Yadav misses out for LSG

Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and chose to bowl against Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL 2026 clash at Ekana, becoming the first away captain to win a toss this season.

Expecting assistance for seamers on a red-soil surface, Axar opted to field first, backing his pace-heavy attack to exploit early conditions.

Delhi Capitals handed four players their franchise debuts, including overseas trio Pathum Nissanka, David Miller—who featured for LSG last season—and Lungi Ngidi. The fourth debutant was Nitish Rana, turning out for his hometown franchise for the first time.

DC’s XI also featured a strong bowling unit with Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan and Mukesh Kumar, while KL Rahul led the batting line-up as wicketkeeper.

For LSG, Rishabh Pant captained a side packed with firepower, including Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran in the top order.

However, the notable absence was express pacer Mayank Yadav, who was left out of both the playing XI and substitutes bench despite being declared fit by the coaching staff.

LSG handed a debut to keeper-batter Mukul Choudhary, while Anrich Nortje made his franchise debut against his former team.

With Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav forming the core of LSG’s pace attack, both sides appear well-equipped in the bowling department.

The contest sets up an intriguing battle: DC banking on early movement with the ball, while LSG rely on a powerful top order to counter the conditions.