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The Indian Premier League 2026 double-header today will witness a battle at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as the Delhi Capitals gear up to host the table-topping Punjab Kings in Match 35. For Axar Patel’s men, residing in the sixth place of the pack, this match will be about survival in the playoff race as the season has reached its halfway point. Meanwhile, the Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS are looking to maintain their unstoppable streak as the only undefeated team in the tournament. However, ahead of the match, let’s have a look at the medical room, and the biggest name DC fans are searching for is Mitchell Starc. And, for PBKS is Cooper Connolly. Are, they playing today?

Mitchell Starc – Not Playing Today

The biggest question heading into the DC vs PBKS IPL match today is the long-awaited arrival of the Delhi Capitals’ pace spearhead, Mitchell Starc. After missing the first half of the season due to elbow and shoulder injuries sustained during the Australian summer, the left-arm quick has finally received clearance from Cricket Australia. He joined the squad on Friday but is unlikely to play until another week. The expected return for Starc is against Rajasthan Royals on May 1.

Cooper Connolly – Playing Today

The Punjab Kings have found a gem in Australian youngster Cooper Connollywho has anchored their middle order with 223 runs this season. However, a scare sent him back to Australia for scans earlier this week. However, for today’s match, PBKS management has confirmed that Connolly is available for selection. The scans were precautionary, and while he had been nursing a minor back issue that limited his bowling, his batting remains unaffected.

Rehan Ahmed – Not Playing Today

Delhi Capitals have moved quickly to address their overseas balance by signing England’s teenage leg-spinning sensation, Rehan Ahmed as a replacement for Ben Duckett who withdrew from the season to manage his workload, opening the door for the 21-year-old Rehan.

Rehan has been roped in for INR 75 lakh and has already integrated into the DC squad but he is not expected to play today.

DC vs PBKS Predicted Playing XIs:

Delhi Capitals: Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (c), Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak.