NEW DELHI: Young Maharashtra batter Sahil Parakh is set to make his debut for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2026 match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. The 18-year-old will open the batting alongside KL Rahul.
Parakh represented India at the Under-19 level in 2024 before earning a place in the Maharashtra state side. He played two T20 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year. During his Under-19 stint, he impressed with an unbeaten century — 109 off 75 balls — against Australia in 2024.
Who is Sahil Parakh?
Full Name: Sahil Ulhas Parakh. Age: 18 years 324 days. Playing role: Left-handed batter and legbreak bowler. SMAT record: 2 matches, 24 runs, highest score 18, average 12.00, strike rate 114.28. Teams: Delhi Capitals, Maharashtra, India Under-19.
Parakh, a left-handed batter who can also bowl leg-spin, was picked up by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2026 auction for Rs 30 lakh. DC skipper Axar Patel confirmed at the toss that the youngster would replace Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka at the top of the order.
Axar Patel on the Match
Speaking at the toss, Axar said: "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 lose, 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’t sit around thinking about it. 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."
DC vs RCB Playing XIs
Delhi Capitals 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.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 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.
Stay updated with the latest IPL Live Score, IPL news on Times of India. Follow the IPL Schedule, check the IPL Points Table, and track the race for the IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap.
