Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 62 Commentary, Live Updates

No run.

Madhav Tiwari has bowled a couple of fine overs on the trot. Will he be held back for later?

Pitched fuller, an in-drifter on middle. Dhruv Jurel takes out a huge stride and eases it back to Axar.

On a length, outside off, Jurel cuts it straight to point off the back foot.

Slower through the air, a bit more round-armish, on a length, on off. Riyan Parag tries to force it through cover, but inside edges to the left of short fine leg for a single.

SIX! CLEAN HIT! Drops it fuller and in front of middle. Parag plays through the line and launches it cleanly over the long on fence for a mammoth six.

Nice and full, on middle and leg. Parag pushes to the right of the bowler.

SIX! KABOOM! Slot ball, on middle. Riyan Parag gets the front foot out of the way and slogs it just over Abishek Porel, the leaping deep mid-wicket fielder, for half a dozen.

Halfway through the first innings. The Capitals have managed to slow things down considerably since the Powerplay. The Royals have added only 29 runs since the restrictions lifted.

Just back of a length, a bit slower and angled into the batter. Parag stays back and hoicks it across to deep mid-wicket for a single. RR are 104/2 after 10 overs.

WIDE! Too full and too wide outside off, spilled beyond the tramline. Parag leaves it alone again.

WIDE! This time, Parag lets it go. Another slower bumper, wide outside off and sails over head height.

Oh, almost a stellar catch, but not clean enough from Tristan Stubbs. Madhav Tiwari bangs it halfway into the deck and takes pace off as well. Riyan Parag comes down the pitch, gets his bat up over his head and forces a tennis-like smash down to long on. Stubbs sprints to his left and dives in to clutch it with his fingers. However, replays show that the ball didn't quite get in the grasp completely and touched the grass as Stubbs took a tumble. NOT OUT!

Is that a clean catch? If yes, that's an absolute screamer from Stubbs. The on-field umpires send it upstairs for a review to check the legality of the catch. The replay shows that Stubbs does not have his fingers underneath the ball, but rather alongside and the ball is grounded. It looked like a clean catch in real time. A valiant effort, though. NOT OUT loads on the big screen.

Sharp fielding in the deep from Mitchell Starc. Fractionally short on leg, flicked away down to the right of deep backward square leg for a single.

A bit fuller than the good length, darting back in towards the stumps. Jurel plays it with a straight back, but straight to the bowler, who makes a stop on the followthrough.

Pitched fuller and outside off, driven on the up and through extra cover for a couple of runs. 100 is up for the Royals.

On a hard length, around the fifth stump line and skidding through. Dhruv Jurel plays it late and cuts it down to backward point.

DC have managed to string a couple of quiet overs. Just 12 runs in the last 2 overs for RR. Madhav Tiwari to continue. 1-0-6-1 so far.

No run there. Good length on off, Parag rocks back and punches it straight to the cover fielder. Tidy start from Axar Patel.

Dragged short on leg, Jurel whips it off the hips and in front of square on the leg side for one more.

A prolonged appeal for LBW, not given. The bowler and the keeper both seem certain and the review is taken. Coming to the delivery, Axar Patel slides this one in full and on off stump. Riyan Parag goes for the reverse sweep but misses and the ball brushes the pad before rolling towards short third. There's nothing on UltraEdge and Ball Tracking shows that the impact is outside the line of off stump. Eventually, it is just a leg bye.

FOUR! Top shot from Parag! Floated up around off, Riyan Parag lunges forward and just punches the drive over covers for a boundary.

Fuller now, drifted into the pads, Parag fails to get it away.

Axar starts off with the arm ball. Good length, darts in towards middle and leg, Parag pushes it into the off side.

Another single to end the over, a fruitful one for Tiwari and DC. A tad slower and shorter, outside off. Parag rocks back and jams it through the cover region for one.

Back of a length again, on a tight line around off. Jurel leans back and short-arm jabs it towards deep mid-wicket for a run more.

Just back of a length, outside off, punched away down to long off for a single by Parag.

Big, big wicket for the Capitals. Tiwari breaks the rapid 70-run partnership. In walks the RR skipper, Riyan Parag, at number 4.

OUT! CAUGHT! Madhav Tiwari gets the big fish, and David Miller isn't going to drop that. That's smartly bowled again by Tiwari, as he slows it up and pitches it fuller on off and middle. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looks for the big heave but is undone by the lack of pace and checks his shot. He ends up chipping it down the ground, and Miller slides across to his right from long on to take the catch. Sooryavanshi falls short of his half-century here. The Royals are 89/2 in 7.3 overs.

Good length around off, Jurel takes a step to the off side and pats it down to long off for one more.

Another slower ball, into the pitch and angles just across off. Sooryavanshi has to really wait for it and drags the pull towards mid-wicket for one.

WIDE! Madhav starts off with an extra. Slower one, dug in well short over middle, Sooryavanshi leaves it alone.

Bowling change? Yes. Madhav Tiwari to have a bowl now.

Off break, fractionally short, outside off. Vaibhav punches it off the back foot to long off for a single.

In front of the sticks, touch short, spinning in. Jurel gets inside the line and steers it to the deep square leg region for a run.

SIX! That's a mighty hit! Drops a half volley just outside off. Dhruv Jurel shimmies down the track and dumps it over deep mid-wicket for a huge six. Vijay under huge pressure.

Full and floated around off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lofts it over mid off with a still head. The ball lands and spins the other way as Mitchell Starc almost overruns to his left at long off. But manages to stop it with his long levers. One taken.

Drag-downer, on leg. Dhruv Jurel pulls it powerfully off the back foot but there is protection in the deep square leg region. So will only get a single.

Slightly short, on off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hangs deep in the crease and punches it to the right of long off for a single.

STRATEGIC BREAK! A prolific Powerplay with the bat for the Royals, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi seems in the zone yet again. For the Capitals, Lungi Ngidi has bowled well and that tough dropped catch is proving to be a bit costly. They will hope that with the fielding restrictions lifted, they can keep a check on the boundaries, but wickets will be key for both sides. If Sooryavanshi keeps going at this rate, the DC bowlers could be in for a long night. Tripurana Vijay to continue after the break.

Nails the yorker, around off. Dhruv Jurel tries to carve it through point, but gets an inside edge as the ball rolls back to Mukesh. 17 runs off the over, 35 in the last 2 for the Royals.

WIDE! Oh dear, that's a wild delivery! Way too short and far down the leg side. Dhruv Jurel lets it be and KL Rahul collects it moving to his left.

FOUR! SHOT! Touch fuller and on off, nipping in slightly. Dhruv Jurel picks it up and over the bowler's head and finds the fence for a boundary down the ground.

SIX! Free-flowing stroke from Jurel! A hit-me ball, full on off. Dhruv Jurel clears the front leg, and launches it over the cow corner fence for a cracking six. The 50-run partnership comes up between this pair in super-quick time.

FOUR! Powered down the ground! Mukesh pulls the length back, and keeps it around off. Dhruv Jurel goes deep in the crease and bludgeons it back past the bowler for a boundary to the right of long off.

Hit really hard, but straight to Miller. At 139.9 kph, this is full and around off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi laces it to cover, where David Miller stops the ball travelling at the rate of knots. Makes a half stop but the ball rolls around him. Just a single.

Hard length, outside off, Dhruv Jurel waits back and square cuts it to deep backward point for a single.

A dropped catch and 18 runs off the debutant's first over. Also, Mukesh Kumar comes in to replace Lungi Ngidi.

SIX! MASSIVE HIT! Short and sliding in and around middle and leg. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hangs deep inside the crease and nails the pull shot behind deep mid-wicket. It has gone deep into the stands. 18 runs off the over. A tough start for Vijay.

IN THE AIR AND DROPPED! Almost a first wicket for Vijay, but Rizvi cannot hold on to it. A tough chance, though. Tossed up on the stumps. Vaibhav charges down the track but is nowhere near the pitch of the ball. He commits to the shot anyway, heaving it down the ground. Rizvi at mid on turns and sprints back, flings himself into a dive, and gets two hands to it, but it bursts through his grasp. To rub salt into the wound, he spills it and parries it into the ropes. Four.

Slides it into the batter, on a length, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi watches it closely and blocks it down the pitch.

FOUR! Sooryavanshi continues to pepper the boundaries. A touch fuller, outside off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets on the front foot and slams it over wide extra cover for a boundary.

In and around off, on a length. Vaibhav taps it to point off the back foot.

FOUR! Put away! Short and from around the stump, on off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi camps back and finds the gap between cover and point by punching it off the back foot.

The debutant, Tripurana Vijay, has now been tossed the ball inside the Powerplay.

EDGED AND DROPPED! KL Rahul shells a regular chance as he gets a good piece of glove on it. Lungi Ngidi is down on his haunches in disbelief. Good length, in the channel just outside off. Jurel looks to guide it behind square on the off side, but gets a thick outside edge that flies to the right of the keeper. Rahul dives to his right behind the stumps and gets a decent hand to it, but cannot hold on.

Low full toss, outside off, Jurel clips it across to mid-wicket.

On a length, around off, Jurel punches it off the front foot to cover. Again, it is Miller who makes a diving stop to his right.

Wowza! Excellent fielding display! Much fuller, outside off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shovels it powerfully to the left of David Miller at extra cover. He dives and parries the ball to Axar Patel at mid off. He gets rid of the ball to the bowling end, but misses his shy. A direct hit would have made things interesting as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi didn't slide his bat to complete the single.

Low, dipping full toss, on off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi runs it down to long off for a single.

FOUR! Wonderful timing! From around the stump, Ngidi hones in a slower one, full, around off. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stays steady in his crease and lofts it inside out over extra cover for a boundary.

A couple of really expensive overs from Mitchell Starc. Lungi Ngidi to continue from the other end.

Short of a length, and this is bunted back to the bowler.

FOUR! Valiant effort, but in vain. Full and across the batter, outside off. Dhruv Jurel gets under it to pump it over extra cover, but gets more height than distance. The ball descends into the deep cover region with three fielders converging in. It is Madhav Tiwari who backtracks from the cover region and dives but the ball lands in front of him and hits his right shoulder before rolling into the fence.

Yorker, on the toes, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's head falls over and flicks it to the right of deep square leg for a single.

The ball seems to have been lost in the crowd and the fourth umpire is out with a box of balls. Hang on, the old ball has been thrown back and the fourth umpire goes back.

SIX! Oh my days! This kid is just fearless. He has smashed Starc out of the park like it's nothing. Short of a good length, on middle angling in at chest height. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has a free swing at it and pulls it massively over long leg for a six.

Goes in search for the yorker, but slips in a high full toss. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi mistimes it to cover. He will feel that he has missed out.

FOUR! Not timed well enough, but he still finds the fence! Fuller and outside off, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with an aggressive approach, swings the bat hard to smoke it downtown, but the ball swings away late and takes the outside edge. The ball flies over backward point for a boundary on the bounce.

WIDE! Far down the leg stump line, on a fuller length. Vaibhav misses the flick. The keeper dives to his right and gathers it. Wide called.

Full of a good length, slightly wide outside off, Riyan Parag gets a good stride across and shoulders arms at it. A wicket and 7 runs off Ngidi's first over.

Another low score for Jaiswal. He now has just 21 runs in the last 3 matches, including this one. Dhruv Jurel makes his way to the crease at number 3.

OUT! CAUGHT! Mitchell Starc makes great use of his height, and Lungi Ngidi gets the first breakthrough for DC. Ngidi stays around the wicket and bowls a slower ball, full and wide outside off. Yashasvi Jaiswal throws the kitchen sink as he looks to clobber it leg side but gets an outside edge. The ball lobs fine of short third, where Starc leaps to his weaker right side and pouches it with both hands. Jaiswal's slim run of form continues and Rajasthan are 19/1 already.

How has that missed everything? Ngidi dishes out a full ball on middle and leg, and the ball just keeps angling in. Jaiswal takes the front leg out to drive but the ball beats the inside edge and goes a whisker past the leg stump as well.

Lovely drive, but finds the fielder. Fullish length, on the fifth stump line, Jaiswal walks across and hits it firmly but straight to a widish mid off.

Slower ball, pitched up around off, Sooryavanshi gets an inside edge towards square leg and pinches a single.

SIX! Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets off the mark in classic fashion. Back of a length, angled in from around the wicket. Sooryavanshi hangs back and lays into the pull, doesn't quite middle it, but enough to take the ball sailing over the leaping fielder at deep backward square leg.

Very productive start for RR. Lungi Ngidi will bowl from the opposite end.

A dot to end but 12 runs come off the first over. Good-length delivery, on off and middle, Jaiswal blocks it from inside the crease.

FOUR! Majestic from Jaiswal! A touch too full again, wide outside off, Yashasvi Jaiswal lunges across and punches it sweetly and well wide to the right of mid off for a third boundary in the over.

Starc is forced to change his length, and he bowls it a bit short and outside off. Jaiswal stays upright and taps it in front of point.

FOUR! Nicely timed! Full and straight, shaping away again. Yashasvi Jaiswal keeps his balance, shows the full face of the blade and drives it to the left of the bowler for another boundary.

FOUR! Too straight and Jaiswal is off the mark with a boundary. Another low full toss, on the pads, shaping away a bit. Jaiswal clips it in front of square on the leg side and through the gap for four runs.

Oh, a lot of swing but too full. On off and middle, swinging away, turns out to be a full toss. Yashasvi Jaiswal punches it to mid off.

We are all set for the game to begin. The bell is rung, signalling the start of play and the two umpires are the first ones out on the field of play. The players of Delhi Capitals can be seen in a huddle before they spread out onto the field. It will be the southpaw duo of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal to open the innings as usual for Rajasthan Royals. Mitchell Starc has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...

THIS JUST IN - Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the reigning champions, become the first team to qualify for the playoffs in the 2026 season. RCB beat Punjab Kings by 23 runs to move to 18 points. Meanwhile, it is another body blow to the Kings, who lose 6 in a row to stay on 13 points, and they can now get to a maximum of just 15 points, which might not be enough come the 24th of May.

Let's now hear from RR's lead pacer - Jofra Archer says that they had a few team bonding exercises in the break as they played a bit of pool and volleyball, and even enjoyed a nice dinner at a historic restaurant. On his own performance this season, he says that he's not working on anything specific and just tries to hit a consistent area. On the challenge of the remaining few games, he says that any team can beat anyone and they cannot take the games for granted.

The skipper of Rajasthan Royals - Riyan Parag starts by mentioning that he's fit and ready to go. Mentions that they were unsure about the wicket, and he's happy to lose the toss. Mentions that they have had a few ups and downs in the last few games, and mentions that they have brought in an extra seamer to bolster their bowling. Goes on to inform that Ravindra Jadeja is not playing as they are managing his workload and Ravi Singh comes in place of him.

The captain of Delhi Capitals - Axar Patel says that they will bowl first. Adds that when they win, the morale is high, but even when they were losing, the team stayed together. Informs that they have made one change depending on the wicket, as Tripurana Vijay comes in for Auqib Nabi. Goes on to say that he isn't thinking much about the wicket and is focused on executing their plans with the ball. Further mentions that when the toss doesn't go your way, in that moment, it feels a bit bad but you need to get that out of your way.

Impact Player options for DC - Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Vipraj Nigam, Pathum Nissanka, and Karun Nair.

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI) - KL Rahul (WK), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (C), Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, Tripurana Vijay (On debut, in for Auqib Nabi), and Lungi Ngidi.

Impact Player options for RR - Dasun Shanaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, and Aman Perala.

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI) - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (In for Tushar Deshpande), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag (C), Ravi Singh (In for Ravindra Jadeja), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Yash Punja, Jofra Archer, Adam Milne (In for Dasun Shanaka), and Brijesh Sharma.

TOSS - It's time for the toss, but before that, we can see Tripurana Vijay get his debut cap for Delhi Capitals. The two captains - Axar Patel and Riyan Parag make their way out to the middle now as well. Axar spins the coin, as Parag calls, and does so incorrectly. Delhi Capitals will BOWL first.

PITCH REPORT - Former Indian women's cricketer, Anjum Chopra, is pitchside. She starts by saying that they are at the center pitch. Mentions that the straight hit 73 meters and the square boundaries are equidistant at 63 meters each. Cricket's very own encyclopedia, Ian Bishop, joins her and says that this has been a chasing venue this season, and mentions that one half of the pitch is fairly hard and there's not much grass on it, but on the other half, there are a few dark spots and it is even drier. Bishop feels that the seamers will enjoy and hopefully, there won't be much dew either.

Delhi's star pacer is up for a chat - Mitchell Starc says that they have had a bit of a break and a few of the guys have been playing a bit of golf and hopefully, they are good to go tonight. He adds that as days go by, they get a chance of still having a shot of qualifying and there's been a bit of a change in the last game, and it's an opportunity for those coming in to prove their worth. On playing against Rajasthan, he says that they played them a week or so ago and the key will be adapting to this wicket, which is a bit of an unknown.

Punjab's hopes dwindling in Dharamshala - Meanwhile, in the first game of the day, Punjab Kings are 146/5 in a chase of 223 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They need 77 runs in just 30 balls for the win, otherwise, it will be a sixth successive defeat for last season's runners-up, blowing the playoff race wide open, more than it is right now. Also, if RCB win, they will qualify as only 3 more teams can get to 18 points.

Now or never for Delhi - The battleground at the Arun Jaitley Stadium promises a run-fest, given the venue's historical friendliness toward batsmen and Delhi's struggle to defend their home turf this season. Mitchell Starc’s impact with the ball will be vital for the Capitals as they attempt to contain a dangerous RR top order spearheaded by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Which team will be able to squeeze out two invaluable points? Only time will tell. Stay tuned for the toss and teams.

Time for revenge? The backdrop to this fixture is a narrative of redemption for Rajasthan and survival for Delhi. In their last head-to-head meeting earlier this season in Jaipur, Delhi pulled off a spectacular chase, hunting down Rajasthan’s imposing total of 225 with seven wickets to spare. That night, Riyan Parag’s magnificent 90 and Donovan Ferreira’s late-innings blitz for RR were ultimately overshadowed by a commanding 75 from DC’s KL Rahul and a fiery start by Pathum Nissanka. Delhi will be looking to channel that exact blueprint, especially coming off a confidence-boosting successful chase of 211 against the Punjab Kings. Conversely, Rajasthan's potent bowling unit, featuring the likes of Ravi Bishnoi and Jofra Archer, will be itching to avenge that previous defensive failure.

Crunch time in Jaipur - Hello and welcome to our coverage of Match number 62 of the 2026 IPL season. Rajasthan Royals are all set to go up against Delhi Capitals in what is yet another four-pointer as the race for the playoffs heats up. While the Capitals are clinging to their top-four hopes by a thread and desperately need a victory, the Royals return to action fresh off an eight-day hiatus, eager to shake off a heavy 77-run defeat in their previous outing against the Gujarat Titans and solidify their position in the race for the top four.

... MATCH DAY ...

Sunday blockbuster - It’s the final stretch of the league phase in this year’s IPL with truckloads of pride at stake. As many as eight teams are still pretty much alive in the competition, but not all will get the rewards. The Arun Jaitley Stadium is ready for an all-important mid-table clash that will low-key decide the fate of the teams fighting to finish in the top four. It’s the Delhi Capitals taking on the Rajasthan Royals in the 62nd match of this edition. The hanging fruit theory - IPL has truly started IPL-ing. Punjab Kings fumbled a golden chance to consolidate their top-four spot. The very next day, Chennai Super Kings did the same. And on both occasions, teams that had already been knocked out of the tournament were the ones doing the damage. Spoilers with nothing to lose are the most dangerous kind, especially in this phase of the tournament. That is precisely the role Delhi Capitals find themselves in today against Rajasthan Royals. Now, the Capitals are not out yet, technically. But realistically? Their ceiling is 14 points. With RR and CSK both still capable of reaching 18 and 16 points, respectively, if they win all their remaining games, Delhi's path is impossibly narrow. A loss here and the campaign is done. A win and they are still not safe. There is only one option in front of them, and that is to beat RR at home. Rajasthan Royals are the lowest-hanging fruit on Delhi's tree, and they have to grab it now, before the season moves on without them. As for the Rajasthan Royals, they have had the strangest past fortnight. One game in the better part of a week, long days on the bench, watching others play for their lives. And yet, despite all that sitting around, they have quietly moved up to fifth, helped along by CSK's heavy defeat to LSG that crushed the Super Kings' net run rate badly enough to push them below the Royals in the standings. Rajasthan did not earn that gift. But they will take it. However, they won their last match on 28th April, against PBKS, and have since lost two games in a row, so they would hope that this break serves them right to get back to winning ways. Talent undeniable, problems aplenty - Yes, they won their previous game against Punjab in emphatic fashion, chasing 211. But in the greater scheme of things, DC’s batting unit hasn't worked in sync properly. Individual contributions have come and gone, but the collective effort has been largely missing. The Capitals have lost 25 wickets in the Powerplay, sitting among the teams that have lost the most wickets in this phase. And on top of that, the likes of KL Rahul have been quiet since the last few matches. He has scored just 44 runs in the last three matches and has been dismissed inside the Powerplay on all three occasions. For DC’s leading run getter with 477 runs this season, KL Rahul’s form is paramount. But still, Rahul remains their best batter by a distance, and the gulf after him is a massive one. Pathum Nissanka is second on the charts with 278 runs, while Stubbs is next in line, but again, consistency has been their biggest issue. On the brighter side, though, skipper Axar Patel is back among the runs, scoring a crucial half-century in the previous game, his first of the season, albeit too late in the season. And David Miller has been instrumental in the finishing role whenever he has had the opportunity. Concerns bowling-wise - The early season gave DC fans some real hope with the ball. Mukesh Kumar and Lungi Ngidi were at it, doing the job upfront, and the bowling unit looked like it had teeth. Fast forward to now, and that feels like a distant memory. Sixteen wickets in the last five matches as a unit, reinforcements and all, including Mitchell Starc, who has managed five wickets in four outings since joining the camp. But the one name that keeps coming up in DC's bowling concerns is Kuldeep Yadav. Batters have simply found him out this season. He has been hit out of the park more often than not, and an economy of 10.66, his worst in his IPL career, alongside a bowling average of 50.28, is the evidence. This has been truly a season to forget for a bowler of his craft. Axar, with 10 wickets this year, the highest by any DC bowler, has been reasonably decent with his bowling figures, but he has missed his spin partner to keep up at the other end. Running out of steam? Rajasthan Royals arrived at this IPL with a bang, winning four on the trot to announce themselves as genuine contenders. But that feels like a long time ago now. Since that electric start, they have not managed to string two wins together, and their last three out of four have all come while defending totals, games they have lost. The pattern that stands out most, though, is the runs they have been leaking. In five of their last seven matches, Rajasthan have conceded 200 or more, regardless of whether they batted or bowled first. That is not a one-off defensive lapse. That is a recurring problem, and one they will be desperate to fix this time around. They have all the weapons in their armoury, from raw pace to spin deception. But both their pace spearheads, Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, have been on the expensive side recently, and the wickets haven't come regularly either. Archer has managed just two wickets in the last three matches, while Burger has managed only one. Brijesh Sharma has impressed with the opportunities he has got, while the spin duo of Jadeja and Bishnoi have been miserly as well. Explosive edge with the bat - Whatever their struggles have been, Rajasthan's batting has a dimension that few sides in this tournament can match. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at the top of the order is a genuinely fearsome proposition. They have registered five fifty-plus opening stands between them, the most by any opening pair this season, and the third-best partnership overall in IPL 2026, averaging 45 so far. While Dhruv Jurel has been relatively consistent, scoring 314 runs at an average of 31.40, the lack of support from Shimron Hetmyer and the early-season struggles of Riyan Parag created a bottleneck in the middle overs. The Royals attempted to address these issues by introducing Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey. Ferreira has provided flashes of brilliance, including a brutal 14-ball 47 not out against the Delhi Capitals and an unbeaten 52 against the Punjab Kings. Will Parag play? Parag's tenure as a captain has been marked by a period of underwhelming individual form, where he averaged below 20 in the first eight games of the season, before a massive breakthrough against DC in Jaipur, where he smashed a breezy 90 off 50 balls. However, he suffered a hamstring injury in the same game. The injury was severe enough to rule him out of the subsequent high-stakes match against the Gujarat Titans. While there is no official update on his fitness or whether he is fit enough to play, Jaiswal, who was the stand-in captain in RR’s last game, did mention that the week’s break should help Riyan to recover. Team form (Last 5 completed IPL matches, recent first) DC - WLLWL | RR - LLWLW. What to expect? Delhi has usually been a high-scoring venue due to its small boundary dimensions, but the highest first innings score across the last three matches here has been just 155. And with the summer heat at its peak, pitch deterioration is going to give bowlers a lot more say than the batters would like. Five out of six games so far have been won by teams chasing in Delhi this year. And in a striking stat, the Delhi Capitals have lost all four matches while batting first at home. This also includes a stinging 75 all out vs RCB and a spectacular failure to defend 264 vs PBKS. Rajasthan Royals have a wider chance at qualification and will definitely come harder at their opponents, as they cannot afford to lose from here. Delhi Capitals can be seen from the rearview mirror, but they are too far to catch up to the top four and the teams crowded below the qualification mark. Let’s see who trumps this one. Should be a cracking contest.