IPL Dispatch: Bowling, Dust Storms Engulf Capitals; Mumbai Replace Injured Santner With Maharaj

Some cliches exist for a reason. The aphorism 'cricket is a great leveller' comes true time and again, with all the unpredictable plot twists the sport throws up to keep players and viewers alike on their toes. After a chaotic weekend that concluded with a stretched, Super Over finish, the Indian Premier League (IPL)'s Monday (April 27, 2026) feature wrapped up well before expected time.

ALSO READ: DC Vs RCB Highlights

Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar demonstrated the evergreen application of experience and swing-bowling skill as they heralded a hurricane of wickets in the powerplay. Runs were fewer than wickets in the initial overs and Delhi Capitals (DC) were down to 8 for 6 in 23 balls, presenting the kind of scorecard you almost never witness in T20 games.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) bowlers raised a storm before the weather caused a literal one. Swirling dust led to play being halted for some time, and even upon resumption, the visibility was not ideal for batters and fielders. Thankfully there was no rain, and the match ended sans any major interruption.

With that, let us take a look at some of the other big IPL 2026 talking points in the last 24 hours.

Kohli Scales 9K Peak

RCB veteran Virat Kohli continues to be in a league of his own. The only man to pass 8,000 IPL runs, Kohli scaled the 9000-run peak too on Monday. The 37-year-old achieved the feat during his unbeaten 23-run knock that took Bengaluru to their utterly dominant victory.

Kohli has eight hundreds and a whopping 66 fifties in the league from 275 games. The gulf between him and the rest of the pack is huge; the next highest IPL run-scorer is his India contemporary Rohit Sharma with a tally of 7183 runs. Rohit’s former India opening partner Shikhar Dhawan is third on the list with 6769 runs, followed by Australian great David Warner (6565).

KL Rahul Still In With A Shot

Neither Rohit, nor Dhawan or Warner can overtake Kohli, but the name fifth on the list has a genuine shot at it. KL Rahul has amassed 5580 runs from 153 games so far, and the 34-year-old has age somewhat on his side apart from a brilliant overall record (strike rate of 138.39 to go with an average of 46.50 from 153 matches).

Photo Of The Day

The aforementioned dust storm disrupted play after the ninth over of the RCB innings, and led to visibility trouble for Capitals' batters as well as RCB fielders. Players and officials were seen shielding their faces and retreating to the side as their eyes struggled to pierce through the thick veil of dust.

Debuts Can Be Dreadful!

Much was expected of Sahil Parakh, the 18-year-old who opened the batting for DC ahead of the much-vaunted Prithvi Shaw in his debut IPL appearance. The Maharashtra cricketer was picked up by the Capitals for INR 30 lakh during the IPL 2026 auction, and had impressed with his India U19 performances in the past.

But the teenager was handed a stern initiation, bamboozled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar's masterful yorker for a two-ball duck. The delivery was inch-perfect, and there was little the left-hander could have done to prevent it from cannoning into his middle stump.

Up Next: Last Bout Of Round Eight

All teams but Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals have played eight games in the season, and with these two franchises locking horns in New Chandigarh on Tuesday, round number eight of the league phase will draw to a close.

In terms of batting talent, Punjab's red-hot Priyansh Arya and Rajasthan's sensational Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (provided he is fit enough to play) will garner the most eyeballs. As for the big picture, table-toppers PBKS need two more wins to seal their playoffs berth, and they would be eager to chalk one of them off at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.

Quote Of The Day

After producing a Player of the Match display at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Josh Hazlewood reiterated the little things that make cricket beautiful. The Australian pacer said the 500-plus aggregate of runs piled on at the same venue in the previous game did not leave him and the rest of the bowlers with much of a clue as to what was going to happen.

He simply observed how the pitch played on the day and made the most of it, alongside 'Bhuvi'. Hazlewood said at the post-match presentation: "I was just following his (Bhuvneshwar's) lead. There was a bit there in the first six overs - enough to work with, and it was skidding on quickly from a short of a length. Once the ball got soft, it became more consistent."

Maharaj Enters Fray

The Mumbai Indians (MI) have replaced one left-arm spinner with another in their squad. South Africa's Keshav Maharaj has come in for New Zealander Mitchell Santner for the remainder of the competition. Santner has been ruled out owing to a shoulder injury which he sustained during MI’s last match at the Wankhede Stadium against Chennai Super Kings.

Maharaj has featured in two IPL matches, representing Rajasthan Royals in 2024. He joins MI for a fee of INR 75 lakh and could be seen in action during Mumbai's next match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home on April 29.

Elsewhere...

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs commence on Tuesday. Islamabad United will meet Peshawar Zalmi in the Qualifier, with the winner advancing to the final. It will be followed by Hyderabad Kingsmen and Multan Sultans locking horns in Eliminator 1, the victor of which will face the Qualifier's losing side in Eliminator 2.

Fans are allowed to attend all four remaining games in the PSL after approval by the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday. Permission for spectators at all four playoff games came two days after Sharif approved a request from franchise owners to open the doors to the PSL final in Lahore.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh returned to the T20 international arena in style with a six-wicket win over New Zealand in Chattogram. Tawhid Hridoy's unbeaten 51 led the Bangla Tigers' march towards a 183-run target, thus marking their biggest successful chase in T20Is at home.

Over in Benoni, India suffered a 23-run defeat at the hands of a ruthless South Africa, who completed a comprehensive 4-1 series victory in the women's T20I leg. The results don't augur well for Harmanpreet Kaur and Co, especially with the Women's T20 World Cup coming up in June.