New Delhi Tigers vs West Delhi Lions, 35th Match (T20) — Delhi Premier League

Who will win NDT vs WDL?

Cric First AI picks West Delhi Lions · confidence 60/100

• New Delhi Tigers won the toss, chose to bat first.
• Venue trend this season: bowling first has won 3 of last 5.
• Light rain, 79% cloud cover forecast at Arun Jaitley Stadium tonight.
• West Delhi Lions enter as clear favourites at 1.59 odds.

Multiple previews independently flag the same bowl-first/chase trend, but NDT's XI is unconfirmed.

Result: WDL won by 6 wickets. Prediction correct.

Toss and conditions

New Delhi Tigers won the toss and chose to bat first; New Delhi Tigers bat first. Against a ground trend where chasing has won 3 of the last 5 matches here.

Batting first hands early-over swing advantage to West Delhi Lions' new-ball pair.

Risky given Mayank Gusain and Shubham Dubey thrive with early seam under this cloud cover.

Key factors

Projected score and key matchup

First innings: 165-180 — Same-day pitch reads flagged 165-175 as competitive, 190+ as match-winning at this ground.

Himmat Singh v Shubham Dubey: Dubey's 2-46 and 2-17 in his last two suggest early wickets if the ball moves.

Players to watch

Head-to-head and form

NDT 0 – 1 WDL (DPL 2026 season). Only prior meeting this season: West Delhi Lions won by 15 runs via DLS method.

New Delhi Tigers: New Delhi Tigers have seen two big totals chased down at this venue this season.

West Delhi Lions: West Delhi Lions sit sixth (3W-3L-1NR) but hold the head-to-head edge over NDT.

The story so far

West Delhi Lions arrive sixth on the table but with rhythm — Ayush Doseja's side beat New Delhi Tigers by 15 runs (DLS) in their only prior meeting this season, and Nitish Rana's 60 off 33 in a recent outing showed the finishing touch this batting unit can produce. New Delhi Tigers, by contrast, have twice seen big totals chased down at this ground — 161/8 overhauled by North Delhi Strikers with seven wickets in hand, and 217 breached by South Delhi Superstarz — a pattern that makes tonight's toss call to bat first a notable gamble rather than an obvious one.

Same-day pitch reads pegged 165-175 as competitive here, with cloud cover and light rain tailor-made for early swing — exactly the conditions New Delhi Tigers have now chosen to bat straight into. Himmat Singh's 171.6 strike rate gives them a release valve if the ball skids on, but if Mayank Gusain and Shubham Dubey find movement up front, Manish Sehrawat's dual role with bat and ball becomes the swing factor. Should West Delhi Lions be left chasing anything under 175, Rana and Krish Yadav have the recent form to make it a third successful run-chase at this venue this season.

The chase: WDL need 196

Fast Kotla surface and possible dew tilt this toward the chasing side, provided Rana or Doseja bats through the middle overs.

195 is a stiff but gettable target on a fast, true Kotla surface, and if dew arrives the chase only gets easier. Rana and Doseja need one big innings each — lose two early and the required rate bites hard.

Conditions: Overcast, humid evening (31.99°C, 74% humidity) — fast, bouncy Kotla pitch, dew a factor late.

• West Delhi Lions need 196 to win at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
• Required rate starts at 9.80 an over from ball one.
• Fast, bouncy surface with overcast skies and high humidity tonight.

Nitish Rana v Laxman: Rana's power against Laxman's early-innings pace on a bouncy deck decides how fast this chase gets away.

• Losing early wickets against Laxman on this bounce hurts most.
• Required rate creeping past 10 an over mid-innings tightens the screws.
• No batter going past 40 leaves the chase short late.