The final league match of the Indian Premier League 2026 brings an absolute blockbuster fixture between hosts Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals at the Eden Gardens Stadium in match 70. However, this Sunday evening clash will be heavily dictated by the afternoon fixture between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.
For KKR, who sit in sixth place with 13 points, mathematically a miracle is still on the table. If RR lose to MI earlier in the day, the qualification will get wide open for Kolkata. In that scenario, the 3-time champions must secure a comprehensive victory over Delhi to reach 15 points but that should be a big margin win in order to bridge the net run-rate deficit against the Punjab Kings.
The Knight Riders have staged a massive turn around this season, from having just 1 point after 6 games to now fighting for the playoffs. They will once again rely heavily on the explosive Finn Allen and the all-rounder of Cameron Green. Allen had played one of his best knocks in this year’s IPL against Delhi, smashing a 47-ball century at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
On the flip side, Delhi are officially eliminated from the playoff race after Punjab’s massive 7-wicket win over Lucknow last night, meaning they are playing purely for pride and could also play as spoilsports.
The Axar Patel-led side will look to end their campaign on a high. Despite a poor season, they have had some positives in the form of KL Rahul who has racked up over 500 runs at an astonishing strike rate this season. But tonight, the most important asset for DC will be former KKR pacer Mitchell Starc who knows what it’s like to bowl under the Eden Gardens lights.
Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Delhi Capitals, IPL 2026 match no 70 Predicted XI
Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted XII: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Saurabh Dubey.
Delhi Capitals Predicted XII: KL Rahul (WK), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (C), Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar.