IPL Daily · Mon 18 May 2026
Starc's 15th-Over Demolition Keeps Delhi Alive as RCB Party in Dharamsala
Starc wrecked RR from 160/2 in 14 overs to 193/8 with a 3-wicket 15th over; DC chased in 19.2; tonight CSK face elimination at a dew-soaked Chepauk against SRH.
Last night — Match 62, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
DC beat RR by 5 wickets (19.2 overs, 4 balls remaining)
197/5 (19.2 ov) — KL Rahul 56 · Abishek Porel 51 · Axar Patel 34* · Ashutosh Sharma 18* (5b)
193/8 (20 ov) — Dhruv Jurel 53 · Riyan Parag 51 (26b) · Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 46 (21b)
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 4/40 (DC) · Lungi Ngidi 2/24 (DC) · Madhav Tiwari 2/27 (DC) · Jofra Archer 2/35 (RR)
Toss: DC won, opted to bowl · Player of the Match:
Mitchell StarcStar of the night
Mitchell Starc delivered the over of the match when Rajasthan Royals looked unstoppable. With RR cruising at 160/2 at the end of 14 overs — Sooryavanshi and Parag having already blazed 46 (21 balls) and 51 (26 balls) respectively — Starc conceded 3 runs and took 3 wickets in the 15th over, leaving RR at 163/5 and their middle order in ruins. He returned to add a fourth scalp, finishing 4/40, and RR's final 6 overs produced only 33 runs and 3 more wickets. The Australian left-armer essentially won this match in a single over.
Hits, misses & turning point
- Hit Starc's 15th-over demolition. RR were 160/2 in 14 overs, 210+ forecast. Starc's 15th delivered 3 wickets for 3 runs. Final 6 overs: 33 runs, 3 wickets. Match turned in one over.
- Hit Porel-Rahul foundation. Abishek Porel (51) and KL Rahul (56) built the chassis of the chase, taking DC well past 100 before the finishers were needed.
- Hit Ngidi + Tiwari double acts. Lungi Ngidi (2/24) and Madhav Tiwari (2/27) tightened the screws before Starc struck. DC's collective bowling conceded 193 despite RR's blistering start.
- Hit Ashutosh impact. Ashutosh Sharma (18* off 5 balls, impact player) finished the chase with 4 balls to spare, hitting the winning runs under pressure.
- Miss RR's death-over collapse. After the brilliance of Sooryavanshi and Parag, RR scored only 33 from overs 15-20 and lost 6 wickets — a collapse from what should have been a 215+ total.
- Miss Jadeja rested. RR chose to rest Ravindra Jadeja for this match, reducing their spin threat at a venue where left-arm turn could have troubled DC's right-handers under lights.
- Turning point Mitchell Starc's 15th over — RR 160/2 to 163/5 in 6 deliveries — wiped out three established batters and reduced a 215-run platform to a 193-run total.
Tonight — Match 63
CSK vs SRH · MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai · 7:30 PM IST
Toss: CSK won, elected to bat
Stakes: CSK must win both their remaining games to reach the playoffs; SRH can seal top-4 with a win here and deny CSK simultaneously.
Matchup to watch: Heinrich Klaasen (SRH, 508 runs in 12M, SR 153.94) vs Noor Ahmad (CSK's left-arm spinner): Chepauk's surface turns sharply early, before dew neutralises spin — if CSK bat first, Noor must remove Klaasen before the ball gets soft.
Pitch: Chepauk averaged 189 runs in the first innings across IPL 2026 home games; chasing teams have won 4 of 6 here this season. Dew factor under lights is high (humidity ~82%), favouring the side batting second. Spinners exploit early dryness but lose effectiveness after 12-13 overs.
Standings
| # | Team | M | W | L | Pts | NRR |
|---|
| 1 | RCB | 13 | 9 | 4 | 18 | +1.065 |
| 2 | GT | 13 | 8 | 5 | 16 | +0.528 |
| 3 | SRH | 12 | 7 | 5 | 14 | +0.412 |
| 4 | PBKS | 13 | 6 | 6 | 13 | +0.178 |
| 5 | CSK | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 | +0.091 |
| 6 | RR | 13 | 6 | 7 | 12 | +0.063 |
| 7 | DC | 13 | 6 | 7 | 12 | -0.008 |
| 8 | KKR | 13 | 5 | 7 | 11 | -0.089 |
| 9 | MI | 11 | 4 | 7 | 8 | -0.634 |
| 10 | LSG | 11 | 4 | 7 | 8 | -0.812 |
Where every fan stands
- RCB — QUALIFIED. First team through. 18 points, NRR of +1.065 means they likely finish 1st or 2nd and host a playoff at home. Bengaluru is celebrating.
- GT — Top-2 with Sudharsan-Gill in blazing form and Rabada/Rashid as a lethal bowling pair. One win from 1 remaining game secures their playoff spot.
- SRH — A win at Chepauk tonight puts them through. Klaasen is in the form of his career. Two matches left — they should make it but must actually show up.
- PBKS — Still 4th with 13pts, but two losses in a row after a stunning mid-season run. They have 1 match left. The NRR cushion above the 12-pt pack is thin.
- RR — Playoff chances took a brutal hit from Starc's over. Still mathematically alive on 12pts but NRR is thin and they need wins plus favourable results.
- CSK — Must win BOTH remaining games. Even then, it depends on others slipping. Dhoni's farewell subplot is drowning in arithmetic. Tonight is a must-win.
- KKR — 11pts from 13M, 1 game remaining. Need a win and multiple upsets to sneak into top-4. Realistically out, but KKR being KKR means anything is possible.
- DC — Still alive! Two wins from 1 remaining game won't happen — but wait, DC have 1 game left too? Need to win it and hope the 12-pt logjam breaks in their favour.
- MI — Eliminated. Season over. Rohit and Bumrah will regroup for the international calendar. Mumbai fans are already planning the auction grievance thread.
- LSG — Eliminated. Their mid-table mediocrity in 2026 was ultimately fatal. The LSG vs CSK result yesterday (won) now feels bittersweet — too little, too late.
Orange & Purple watch
Orange Cap — top 5
- Sai Sudharsan (GT) — 554 · 13M · SR 158.2
- Shubman Gill (GT) — 552 · 13M · SR 149.6
- Virat Kohli (RCB) — 542 · 13M · SR 143.9
- KL Rahul (DC) — 533 · 13M · SR 171.93
- Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) — 508 · 12M · SR 153.94
Purple Cap — top 3
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB) — 24 wkts · 13M
- Kagiso Rabada (GT) — 21 wkts · 13M
- Anshul Kamboj (CSK) — 19 wkts · 12M
Ground scoop
RCB become first team to qualify for IPL 2026 playoffs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their IPL 2026 playoff berth on Sunday evening when they beat Punjab Kings by 23 runs in Dharamsala — the first team to do so this season. Venkatesh Iyer's unbeaten 73 anchored RCB's 222/4 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 3 wickets to keep PBKS to 199/8. With 18pts and an NRR of +1.065, RCB now sit four points clear of second place with one game remaining. Barring a historic NRR catastrophe, they will finish in the top two — meaning a home qualifier at the Chinnaswamy, where their crowd turns every game into a fortress event.
Jamie Overton ruled out of IPL 2026; Dian Forrester named replacement. England all-rounder Jamie Overton has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 due to a right thigh injury, dealing CSK a significant blow at the worst possible time. Overton had been one of CSK's key pace options across the middle overs. The franchise has signed Dian Forrester as his replacement and he is available tonight against SRH. With Anshul Kamboj (19 wickets, season) now bearing the load of the pace attack and Noor Ahmad handling spin, CSK's bowling combination for their must-win final games looks thinner than they would have wanted.
Tomorrow
RR vs LSG. Rajasthan still mathematically alive at 12pts and desperately needing a win against already-eliminated Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur — but even a win may not be enough if CSK and DC also win their remaining games.
Sources: espncricinfo.com, business-standard.com, mykhel.com, newsx.com, sundayguardianlive.com, insidesport.in, tribuneindia.com, news9live.com, cricketaddictor.com, sportskeeda.com.
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