In the first round of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy, Delhi ran into a Bengal outfit comprising Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar and tasted a nine-wicket rout in Kalyani.

In the second round, Delhi amassed 648 for six declared against Gujarat, but a shirtfront at the Palam ‘B’ ground thwarted its bowlers and compelled the host to be content with three points after a high-scoring draw.

In the third round, Delhi’s batters and bowlers stepped up in unison against Jharkhand. However, rain in Ranchi negated any chances of play on the final two days and offered no more than a point each.

Going into the fourth round against Services in Group C, therefore, Delhi needs nothing less than an outright victory at the Palam ‘A’ ground to stay in the race for the knockouts when the First Class competition resumes in January.

Services is further up the creek. Rajat Paliwal’s men have only compiled one point from their first three matches, courtesy a rain-affected draw against Odisha in Bhubaneswar last week.

In the circumstances, a result-oriented surface at the Airforce Complex Ground in Palam this week, perhaps similar to the turner that was dished out for the Services-Bengal encounter a fortnight ago, will be to the liking of both teams.

Although Delhi is the designated host for the contest from Monday, Services, which plays all its home games here, enjoys greater familiarity with the conditions. But even Services skipper Paliwal is unsure about how the strip will behave.

“The pitches at Palam were relaid before the season started,” Paliwal said after practice. “The track for our last home game was unexpected. Because the pitches are fresh, sometimes it takes time for them to settle down. It is in that process right now. Compared to the last two games, the pitch looks in a better shape. But it is hard to judge how it will play.”