Watch: Shreyas Iyer's superb catch dismisses Nitish Rana during DC vs PBKS clash in IPL 2026

For most of the allotted 20 overs during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, it felt like the second-wicket stand between KL Rahul and Nitish Rana had achieved some magic and fortune ball. 

Winning the toss, the home captain, Axar Patel, opted to bat first on a surface which he reckoned would get slow in the second innings. However, Punjab’s captain, Shreyas Iyer, was ready to chase in the second innings of the game. 

Shreyas Iyer’s excellent catch dismisses Rana in IPL 2026

On the final ball of the 17th over of the first inning, Nitish Rana timed a ball against the leg spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, sweetly as Marcus Stoinis grabbed a diving catch. But while holding it, he fell on the ground, and his feet touched the boundary rope as the replays confirmed it as a six.

The left-handed batter welcomed Xavier Bartlett with another six of the afternoon. He hammered the short ball from the Australian pacer over the square leg before waiting and helping the short ball down the leg into the fine leg position for a boundary.

Watch the video here: 

But on the third ball of the over, the Delhi batter was dismissed for 91 runs off 44 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and four sixes. It was a full toss as the batter backed away on the inside-out drive and chipped it in the air. But he couldn’t beat Shreyas Iyer.

The Punjab captain moved to his right and plucked the one-handed catch quite comfortably to send the batter back to the pavilion. It was the end of Rana’s fabulous knock of 91 runs off 44 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and four sixes.

KL Rahul’s 152* shoulders DC to 264/2

KL Rahul finished with an unbeaten knock of 152 runs in just 67 balls at a strike rate of 226.87 with the help of 16 boundaries and nine sixes. They finished with a strong score of 264 runs for the loss of two wickets in their 20 overs. That was the highest score of the IPL for the franchise.

See Also: Watch: KL Rahul smashes Marcus Stoinis for towering six during DC vs PBKS clash in IPL 2026

Rahul also became the fifth leading run-getter of IPL history with 5579 runs as they all chase Virat Kohli’s 8989 runs. In the last 10 overs, DC managed 162 runs for the loss of one wicket.

Brief Scores (at the time of writing): PBKS- 43/0 (Prabhsimran 21*) vs DC- 264/2 (KL Rahul 152*, Nitish Rana 91, Arshdeep Singh 1/49) vs PBKS. 

Fans react to Rana's knock in IPL 2026

Here is how the fans reacted to Shreyas’ catch against Punjab in the IL 2026-