Why did Mukesh Kumar and Pathum Nissanka miss DC vs RCB clash of IPL 2026?
Mukesh Kumar and Pathum Nissanka were part of DC’s last game against the Punjab Kings.
Delhi Capitals (DC) are clashing with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in match 39 of Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). The encounter got underway at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to field first in the clash. While RCB went in with same playing XI, DC captain Axar Patel confirmed that have made three changes to their side.
Along with injured Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar and opener Pathum Nissanka missed out. Both of them played in the previous game against Punjab Kings, which Delhi Capitals lost despite posting a big total of over 260.
Why Mukesh Kumar and Pathum Nissanka missed DC vs RCB clash?
At the toss, Axar revealed that they have added Dushmantha Chameera and Kyle Jamieson in XI, keeping in mind Lungi Ngidi’s absence.
He also added Sahil Parakh replaced Nissanka to allow two overseas bowlers with Mukesh being given the rest. Therefore, it is a decision made by the management for the team combination.
Speaking about changes in the playing XI, Patel said, “We have two fast bowlers – Chameera and Jamieson are playing. We have to strike in the powerplay, though Mukesh has done well, he needs a break and we are bringing in international bowlers”.
On being asked to bat first by RCB, Axar noted that they too would have field first in the clash. “I would have fielded if I won the toss. The ground dimensions are small, the pitch also gets better, so we would have chased as well.
In the IPL, you score 264 and loss, but it is a long tournament, we had a good game with bat and ball, if we had held our chances then the result would be different. You need to keep continuing doing the work, even our best fielders drop catches, so luck is not on our side but we can sit around thinking about it”.
DC vs RCB: Playing XI’s of both teams
DC playing XI: Sahil Parakh, KL Rahul(w), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel(c), Dushmantha Chameera, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan.
RCB playing XI: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar.
Why did Mukesh and Nissanka miss DC vs RCB clash?
Mukesh was rested while Nissanka was dropped and replaced by Sahil Parekh.
Who won the toss in DC vs RCB clash?
RCB won the toss and chose to field first in the clash.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.