IPL 2026: Who is Sahil Parakh? Young Maharashtra batter makes debut for DC vs RCB

NEW DELHI: Young Maharashtra batter Sahil Parakh is making his debut for Delhi Capitals on Monday, as he comes into the playing XI as an opener alongside KL Rahul in their IPL 2026 match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

The 18-year-old batter represented India at the Under-19 level in 2024 before earning a chance in the Maharashtra state side. He featured in two T20 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year. During his Under-19 stint, Parakh impressed with an unbeaten century — 109 off just 75 balls — against Australia in 2024.



Live Score: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

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.

But it turned out to be a debut to forget, as the youngster was clean bowled by veteran RCB seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a two-ball duck, leaving DC reeling at 0/1 in just 0.2 overs.

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.”

Who is Sahil Parakh?

• Full Name: Sahil Ulhas Parakh
• Age: 18 years 324 days
• Playing role: Left-handed batter and legbreak bowler
• SMAT record: M 2 | R 24 | HS 18 | Ave. 12.00 | SR 114.28
• Teams: Delhi Capitals, Maharashtra, India Under-19

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

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