Summary of this article
Delhi Capitals won toss, opted to field against Punjab Kings
Priyansh Arya hit 24-ball fifty, studded with six sixes
Arya only second batter after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to cross fifty-run mark thrice inside powerplay
Punjab Kings' (PBKS) star opener Priyansh Arya raced away to a 24-ball fifty in match 55 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Monday (May 11). He was eventually dismissed for a 33-ball 56 by medium pacer Madhav Tiwari.
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Arya lit up the Dharamsala sky with six sixes en route his half-century. He set the tone with a maximum off the very first ball of the innings, against the experienced Mitchell Starc. The southpaw lofted the outswinging delivery sweetly over the cover-point boundary to delight the home fans.
It was the second time that Arya smacked the first ball of an IPL match for six; the previous instance was against Chennai Super Kings' Khaleel Ahmed in 2025 in Mullanpur. No other batter has achieved the feat twice, with Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Naman Ojha and Yashasvi Jaiswal being the only other batters to have done it.
It was the 24-year-old's third fifty of the season, and his fifth overall. Arya also became only the second batter after fellow rising star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to cross the fifty-run mark thrice inside the powerplay. Sooryavanshi has achieved the feat four times.
Earlier, DC skipper Axar Patel won the toss and opted to field. Australian left-arm medium pacer Ben Dwarshius made his debut for PBKS, replacing an injured Lockie Ferguson. DC, meanwhile, made five changes, bringing in Abishek Porel, Sahil Parekh, David Miller, Madhav Tiwary and Auqib Nabi.
PBKS Vs DC, IPL 2026: Playing XIs
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Madhav Tiwari, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi Dar, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi.
