PBKS stun DC with record T20 chase: KL Rahul’s 152 in vain in IPL 2026 M35

Punjab Kings (PBKS) rewrote the T20 cricket record book at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, hauling down a target of 265 against Delhi Capitals (DC) with six wickets in hand and seven balls to spare to register the highest successful chase in the history of the Indian Premier League and the highest in any T20 format. The 35th match of IPL 2026, played in 41-degree heat in the national capital, featured a record second-wicket stand of 220 between KL Rahul and Nitish Rana, an unbeaten 152 from Rahul, and a powerplay assault from Punjab Kings that dismantled Delhi’s bowling attack inside the first seven overs.

The result lifts Punjab Kings further clear at the top of the IPL 2026 standings and inflicts further damage on Delhi Capitals’ playoff arithmetic, while raising fresh questions about the structural balance of T20 cricket on flat batting surfaces.

How did Delhi Capitals build their record total at the Arun Jaitley Stadium against Punjab Kings?

Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and elected to bat first on a surface that he had described in pre-match assessments as dry, with the expectation that spin would gain traction as the day progressed. The decision was almost immediately tested when Pathum Nissanka was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh for 11 off seven balls in the third over, caught behind off a top edge after attempting an aggressive pull. Delhi were 28 for one inside the powerplay.

What followed transformed the innings. KL Rahul, walking in at one down, took early control of the middle overs while Nitish Rana provided the acceleration at the other end. Rahul, given two reprieves on 12 and 51 by Shashank Singh at deep square leg, capitalised in full. He moved from 100 to 150 in just 19 deliveries and finished unbeaten on 152 from 67 balls, an innings spanning sixteen fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 226.87. Rahul’s knock is now the highest individual score by an Indian batter in IPL history and the third-highest individual score in the tournament overall, behind only Chris Gayle’s 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013 and Brendon McCullum’s 158 not out for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural 2008 fixture.

At the other end, Nitish Rana produced one of the most aggressive innings of his IPL career. Rana hit 91 off 44 balls, with eleven fours and four sixes, including a sequence of 6,4,4,4,4,6 in the twelfth over against Australian seamer Xavier Bartlett that conceded 28 runs. Rana was eventually caught at mid-off by Shreyas Iyer off Bartlett in the nineteenth over, ending a 220-run partnership for the second wicket, the highest second-wicket stand in Delhi Capitals’ IPL history. Rana fell nine runs short of what would have been his maiden IPL century.

Among the Punjab Kings bowlers, only Arshdeep Singh and Xavier Bartlett picked up wickets. Bartlett conceded 69 runs across his four overs at an economy of 17.25. Yuzvendra Chahal returned figures of zero for 42 from four overs. Marco Jansen conceded 45 from four. Vijaykumar Vyshak ended with zero for 48 from three. Delhi closed their innings at 264 for two, the highest total ever posted by the franchise in the IPL.

What made the Punjab Kings powerplay assault decisive in chasing down 265 against Delhi Capitals?

ESPNcricinfo’s match forecaster pegged Delhi Capitals’ win probability at 85.17 percent at the start of the second innings, and Punjab Kings’ chances of pulling off the chase at 14.83 percent. Those projections were upended within the first six overs.

Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh added 126 runs for the opening wicket inside the powerplay. Arya scored 43 off 17 balls with two fours and five sixes, including a six off Axar Patel in the third over and a six off Auqib Nabi in the fourth over that signalled the chase had ignited. Prabhsimran Singh was the more measured of the two openers in shot selection but more punishing in execution, scoring 76 off 26 balls at a strike rate above 290. He brought up his half-century in 18 deliveries and treated Mukesh Kumar’s seam bowling as the primary release valve, scything one full toss through cover-point for four to register the milestone.

By the end of the powerplay, Punjab Kings had moved to 116 for no loss. The forecaster, which had given Delhi an 85 percent chance of victory at the innings break, now gave Punjab Kings a 65.35 percent probability of completing the chase. Punjab Kings had effectively neutralised the difficulty of the target by treating the powerplay as a non-negotiable phase rather than a building block.

Delhi Capitals clawed back into the contest through their spin pair. Axar Patel removed Priyansh Arya in the seventh over, caught at deep midwicket by Sameer Rizvi from a mistimed pull. Kuldeep Yadav trapped Prabhsimran Singh leg before for a 26-ball 76 in the eighth over. Two overs later, Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Cooper Connolly for 11, the Australian beaten by a wrong’un that broke through his defence. Punjab Kings were 145 for three in the tenth over, a position from which the chase could still have been derailed.

Why did Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 71 prove the decisive innings of Match 35 in IPL 2026?

Shreyas Iyer arrived at the crease in the eighth over with the chase delicately balanced. The Punjab Kings captain anchored the middle overs without relinquishing the run-rate demands and finished unbeaten on 71 off 36 balls, with three fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 197.22.

Iyer’s innings was not without fortune. Reports from the venue indicate that Karun Nair dropped him on two occasions during his innings, mistakes that Delhi Capitals could not afford given the scoring rate already established. Iyer punished the lapses by attacking legspinner Vipraj Nigam, hitting him into the sightscreen in the eleventh over, and by going 4,6,6 off three legal deliveries in a sequence that brought him a half-century off 26 balls. He targeted Thangarasu Natarajan in the death overs with a brace of sixes that effectively closed the contest.

Vipraj Nigam, who entered the playing eleven as a concussion substitute for Lungi Ngidi, recorded the only Delhi wicket beyond the Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav dismissals, removing Nehal Wadhera for 25 in the fifteenth over. Ngidi had been taken to hospital by ambulance after suffering a heavy head injury attempting to take a catch off Priyansh Arya at mid-off in the fourth over.

Iyer’s partnership with Shashank Singh added 64 runs in 26 balls and brought Punjab Kings home in 18.5 overs, with Shashank unbeaten on 19 off 10. Punjab Kings finished on 265 for four.

What does the highest successful T20 chase in IPL history mean for the 2026 standings and playoff race?

The result has immediate implications for the IPL 2026 points table. Punjab Kings, who entered the fixture at the top of the table, have extended their lead and reinforced their position as the form team of the second half of the league phase. The franchise has now twice rewritten the record for the highest successful chase in T20 cricket within a single IPL season, a statistical anomaly that points to both the team’s batting depth and the broader run-scoring environment of IPL 2026.

For Delhi Capitals, the defeat is the second instance this season in which a total exceeding 250 has failed to secure victory. The franchise will host Rajasthan Royals on May 1, with Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc expected to be available for selection after joining the squad earlier this week. England allrounder Rehan Ahmed has also joined the Delhi Capitals squad as a replacement for Ben Duckett.

The Lungi Ngidi injury complicates Delhi Capitals’ bowling planning. The South African seamer was carried from the field after a hospital trip was deemed necessary, and his availability for the May 1 fixture remains contingent on medical clearance. Delhi Capitals have already cycled through multiple Impact Player permutations and the loss of a frontline seamer narrows the franchise’s options at the death.

How does KL Rahul’s 152 reshape the Indian Premier League individual scoring record book?

KL Rahul has now produced the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the Indian Premier League. The previous benchmark for an Indian player had stood for several seasons, and Rahul’s 152 not out off 67 deliveries is the first occasion on which an Indian batter has crossed the 150-run mark in the tournament. The innings sits behind only the Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum landmarks in the all-time list, both of which were produced by overseas players in the early years of the tournament.

The statistical context reinforces a structural pattern of IPL 2026. Run-scoring has reached unprecedented levels across the league phase, with multiple totals above 250 posted on flat surfaces and short boundary configurations. Match 35 has now produced a combined run aggregate of 529 runs across 38.5 overs, raising fresh debate within the cricket administration ecosystem about whether the format favours batting to a degree that compromises competitive balance. Bowlers in this fixture conceded a combined 478 runs in legitimate deliveries, with eleven of the twelve bowlers used returning economy rates above nine.

Rahul’s place in the Orange Cap conversation has been redefined by this innings. The Delhi Capitals batter, who joined the franchise ahead of the 2026 mega auction, has now produced the kind of milestone score that anchors a season-long campaign. The fact that the innings ended on the losing side will weigh on Delhi Capitals’ team room, but the personal landmark cements his standing as the marquee Indian batter of the 2026 season.

What are the key takeaways from the Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings 35th Match of Indian Premier League 2026?

• Punjab Kings chased down 265 with six wickets and seven balls to spare to register the highest successful chase in the history of the Indian Premier League and the highest in T20 cricket overall.
• KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 152 off 67 balls, becoming the first Indian batter to score 150 or more in an IPL innings, with only Chris Gayle’s 175 not out in 2013 and Brendon McCullum’s 158 not out in 2008 standing higher in the all-time list.
• KL Rahul and Nitish Rana added 220 runs for the second wicket, the highest second-wicket partnership in Delhi Capitals’ IPL history, with Nitish Rana scoring 91 off 44 balls before being caught at mid-off.
• Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh put on 126 for the first wicket inside the powerplay for Punjab Kings, with Prabhsimran Singh scoring 76 off 26 balls and reaching his half-century in 18 deliveries.
• Shreyas Iyer finished unbeaten on 71 off 36 balls and steered Punjab Kings home alongside Shashank Singh, who scored an unbeaten 19 off 10 balls in a 64-run unbroken stand for the fifth wicket.

Delhi Capitals vs Punjab Kings, 35th Match, Indian Premier League 2026 scorecard