In the Impact Sub era, the Powerplay has moved from being a tone-setting phase to the match defining one. Batting sides have front-loaded intent to an unprecedented degree: scoring rates in the first six overs have risen by 25.7% compared to the last pre-Impact Sub season in 2022. The middle overs (7-15) have seen a 15.3% increase in scoring rate, while the death overs rate has marginally dipped by 0.7%.
What stands out is that this sharper intent hasn't translated into greater risk. Powerplay averages have climbed from 31.57 in 2022 to 35.61 in 2026 - a 12.8% increase. Teams are scoring faster without losing more wickets, and the advantage gained early is proving decisive. After 39 matches this season, the top four teams on the points table are also the four best sides in Powerplay batting.
Delhi Capitals sit at the other end of that spectrum.
Their 13 for 6 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru was the lowest Powerplay score in the tournament's history, and only the second instance of a team losing six wickets in the phase. But it was less an outlier and more a continuation of a season-long trend.
Capitals have lost 19 wickets at an average of 20.73 in the Powrplay, both the worst among all teams. Their scoring rate of 8.20 is the second lowest, marginally ahead of Lucknow Super Giants, who are based out of the most bowling friendly venue of the competition in Lucknow.
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The pattern extends beyond this season. Since the start of IPL 2025, Capitals have lost 46 wickets in the Powerplay - the second most among all teams - while also recording the lowest average (24.56) and scoring rate (8.56). Frequency of early damage has been a recurring theme. The collapse against RCB was the seventh instance of Capitals losing at least three wickets inside the first six overs since 2025, second only to Chennai Super Kings' 10. Unlike more risk-taking batting units, however, Capitals have rarely compensated with acceleration.
They have crossed 72 - effectively two runs per ball - in the Powerplay only twice in this period, with a highest score of 73, the lowest ceiling among all teams. By contrast, Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost three wickets in the Powerplay five times in the same period but have still managed 72 or more on eight occasions, including a highest of 105.
Instability at the top has underpinned these returns. KL Rahul and Sahil Parikh were Capitals' ninth opening pair in 22 matches since the start of 2025; no other side has used more than six. The constant reshuffling has yielded an average of 22.50 for the first wicket, with the opening pair batting through the Powerplay just twice.
Results have occasionally masked the issue. Capitals have won four of the seven matches in which they lost three wickets in the Powerplay, largely while chasing modest targets. In the two such instances where they were three down in Powerplay while batting first, one was washed out and the other one today ended in a soul crushing defeat.
Four defeats in their last five games have pushed Capitals down to seventh position. In a season where early momentum has increasingly dictated outcomes, their limited Powerplay returns continue to leave them playing catch-up. Unless that trend shifts, a return to the top four seems unlikely too.
