Delhi Capitals pacer Lungi Ngidi suffered a serious head injury while trying to catch Punjab Kings batsman Priyansh Arya during their IPL 2026 match in Delhi on Saturday.The South African was taken to Max Hospital on Pusa Road in Delhi for further medical examination, news agency PTI reported. The incident occurred in the third over of Punjab Kings’ chase when Arya played a full-ball chop onto Axar Patel’s stumps. The ball went high into midfield where Ngidi ran back to complete the catch. However, he misjudged the chance and couldn’t get his hands on the ball. Falling backwards, Ngidi landed badly and hit the back of his head hard on the ground at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. His head bounced off the surface as he fell, and he immediately held on to a headache. He rolled to his side and remained motionless on the ground for some time, causing immediate concern among the players and support staff. A physio and team doctor rushed to the field and attended to the South African pacer. He remained on the ground for more than a minute as medical personnel checked on him. A stretcher was then brought onto the pitch. The physio was seen speaking to Ngidi while holding his neck and the fact that he was able to respond brought some relief. An ambulance was brought to the ground as doctors and physios surrounded him. A neck brace was carefully placed under his head and around his neck before he was prepared to be led off the pitch. Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting also entered the field as the medical team worked around Ngidi. There were worried faces in the Delhi Capitals camp as the stretcher came out. The hard ground at the Arun Jaitley Stadium added to concerns about the impact of the fall. The stadium crowd also fell silent as they realized the severity of the injury. It seemed unlikely that Ngidi would return to the match after the heavy fall.
