Kuldeep Yadav among 5 dropped by DC for PBKS clash as playoff hopes fade away
IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals dropped Kuldeep Yadav and made five changes for the Punjab Kings match in Dharamshala. The decision exposed Delhi's tactical reset as Punjab tried to steady their top-four push.
Delhi Capitals have made a bold selection call, dropping ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav as part of five changes for their IPL clash against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Monday night, May 11. Captain Axar Patel won the toss and opted to field first, signalling a fresh look for DC after a heavy defeat in their previous outing.
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The move comes as Delhi look to end their campaign on a high after slipping further in the playoff race, while Punjab Kings aim to strengthen their position near the top of the table.
“5 changes for us,” Axar Patel confirmed at the toss, revealing a reshuffled XI against PBKS.
Delhi Capitals have brought in Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, David Miller, Auqib Nabi, and Madhav Tiwari, with Kuldeep Yadav missing out after a difficult season where he managed just seven wickets in 10 innings at an average of 50.38. The spinner, who featured as an Impact Substitute in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders, was also not included among the substitutes this time.
Delhi Capitals, sitting eighth with eight points and only three games left, appear to have accepted their playoff setback but remain capable of influencing the qualification race by playing the role of spoilers. “We don't want to rely on other teams mathematically. We don't want to be worrying about the result. Irrespective of the result, we just want to play our brand of cricket,” Axar Patel said, underlining DC’s intent to focus on performance despite their playoff situation.
PBKS ALSO TWEAK COMBINATION
Punjab Kings have also made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Ben Dwarshuis in place of the injured Lockie Ferguson, who picked up a niggle ahead of the match. PBKS come into this fixture after a disappointing outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where dropped catches proved costly in a high-scoring defeat.
Punjab, currently fourth on the points table despite three consecutive losses, will be looking to bounce back strongly and tighten their grip on a top-four finish.
PLAYING XI
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Subs: Vishnu Vinod, Yash Ravisingh Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar, Praveen Dubey
Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Madhav Tiwari, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc
Impact Subs: Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Tripu
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