*Denotes number of holes played before play ended on day one

Denmark's Niklas Norgaard tops the leaderboard on six under after firing a six-under-par round of 66 which included an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys at the Delhi Golf Club.

McKibbin, Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra and Belgian Thomas Detry are all five under after also completing their opening rounds.

Play was suspended because of lightning shortly after 06:30 BST, and did not resume until five hours later, leaving many of the field unable to finish their first 18 holes and preventing others from starting their rounds.

McKibbin posted six birdies, with his card marred by a solitary bogey, to put himself well in contention after day one.

Starting at the 10th hole, the 23-year-old picked up shots at four consecutive holes between the 12th and the 15th, before dropping a shot at the par-four 16th.

Further birdies at the 18th and the third elevated him to joint top spot, before Norgaard moved a shot ahead with a scintillating late charge of one eagle and five birdies in his final seven holes.

McKibbin's sole DP World Tour win to date came in the European Open in Germany in 2023 and since January 2025 he has been part of the LIV Golf tour.

He has secured top-six finishes at the British Masters and Irish Open on the DP World Tour this season.

A trio of Scots: Scott Jamieson, Robert MacIntyre and Ewen Ferguson, sit three under, along with India's Om Prakash Chouhan and Marcus Armitage of England.

McIlroy bogeyed the first shot of his round, the 10th, but bounced back with birdies at the 13th, 15th, 18th and second holes, before giving up a further shot to par on the third.

The back-to-back Masters champion is joined on two under by Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.

McIlroy is third in the Race to Dubai standings before this week's tournament, behind leader Patrick Reed and second-placed Chacarra.