KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav Crush KKR as Delhi Capitals End IPL 2026 With Dominant Win
Delhi Capitals signed off IPL 2026 with a commanding 40-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. KL Rahul starred with a blazing half-century, while Kuldeep Yadav’s three-wicket haul derailed KKR’s chase completely.
March 25, 2026: The final league-stage match of IPL 2026 saw Delhi Capitals sign off their campaign with an impressive 40-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on May 24. Although the contest had turned into a dead rubber after Rajasthan Royals secured the final playoff spot earlier in the day, Delhi still produced a complete performance to finish their season positively and move above KKR into sixth place on the points table.
Batting first, Delhi Capitals posted a commanding total of 203 runs. KL Rahul led the charge with a blistering 60 off just 30 deliveries, smashing five boundaries and four sixes in a dominant display. The wicketkeeper-batter attacked from the outset and took on Sunil Narine aggressively, repeatedly stepping down the track to clear the ropes. Rahul brought up his half-century in only 25 balls and registered his sixth fifty of the season.
KL Rahul, Axar Patel Power Delhi Past 200
Delhi also received valuable contributions from the rest of the batting unit. Abishek Porel scored 22, young Sahil Parakh added 24, while skipper Axar Patel played a crucial knock of 39 runs. David Miller’s late cameo of 28 further helped DC cross the 200-run mark comfortably.
Kolkata’s bowlers struggled for consistency throughout the innings. Saurabh Dubey was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets, while Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakaravarthy claimed one wicket each. Narine, however, endured an expensive outing, and KKR’s fielding also hurt them after Rinku Singh dropped Parakh early in the innings.
A roaring sign-off at Eden. 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/JUkELIQvwZ
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 24, 2026
Kuldeep Yadav’s Return Derails KKR Chase
Chasing 204, Kolkata Knight Riders began positively through captain Ajinkya Rahane, who played a fighting innings of 63 off 39 balls. The veteran batter struck four boundaries and four sixes while bringing up his fifty in just 31 deliveries. Finn Allen contributed 20 runs, Manish Pandey scored 25 off 16 balls, and Rovman Powell added 29, but KKR never truly managed to keep up with the required rate.
Lungi Ngidi provided Delhi with crucial breakthroughs by dismissing Finn Allen and Manish Pandey early in the chase. However, the turning point came when Kuldeep Yadav completely changed the game after returning to the playing XI. The left-arm wrist spinner dismissed Cameron Green before removing Rahane and Rinku Singh in quick succession, nearly claiming a hat-trick as well. Kuldeep finished with outstanding figures of 3/29, while Ngidi ended with 3/27. Mitchell Starc also chipped in with two wickets against his former franchise as KKR collapsed to 163 all out.
The defeat marked Kolkata Knight Riders’ seventh loss of the season, capping off another disappointing IPL campaign under Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership.