RR, DC aim to keep up with playoffs race
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The last time they were home, Delhi Capitals' season had been reduced to mathematics and favours. With no margin for error, their equation was brutally honest - win everything or pack up. In Dharamsala, a stiff 210-tun chase with a refurbished batting order threatened to finally snuff out the last remaining bit of hope. Just then, DC produced the kind of chase that keeps the playoffs race wide open. Now, barely alive but very much kicking, Capitals are back at the Arun Jaitley Stadium that hasn't offered much comfort in recent past. Against Rajasthan Royals is yet another must-win game with the belief flickering, if only just.
Delhi's run at home has bordered on disastrous: just one win in six so far, and five straight defeats at the venue. The batting form, for the department collectively, has dipped with KL Rahul's brief purple patch too now fading into three straight sub-25 scores. No side has lost more wickets in the Powerplay this season than DC, whose top order has failed far more consistently than it has fired. Even the win in Dharamsala needed rescuing acts from the middle and lower-order, with Axar Patel, David Miller and Ashutosh Sharma dragging them through. Miller's mid-season omission had raised eyebrows too, considering no batter averages more in IPL chases at No.5 or lower than the South African.
DC's bowling hasn't inspired much confidence either. The attack has looked unsettled and been expensive. Barring Lungi Ngidi, and Dushmantha Chameera who's only sent down two overs, every other bowler DC used this season has leaked miore than10 runs an over. Kuldeep Yadav's indifferent form has only added to the pressure on an attack heavily reliant on him and Axar, especially at home.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals arrive with issues of their own. The spotlight, inevitably, is on the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose fearless starts have become one of the stories of the season. But besides his blitz, RR's batting has looked just as fragile as Delhi's.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's form has tailed off, Dhruv Jurel has blown hot and cold, while skipper Riyan Parag is enduring a lean run with the bat. Their bowling, once the best in the competition through their winning stretch, has fallen away sharply. Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger have both struggled to sustain early-season rhythm, leaving RR searching for answers with the ball too.
For two sides battling such grave inconsistencies, the Sunday showdown feels more like a fight to keep that hope flickering a little longer. From winning four in a row to losing five of the next seven, RR have slipped outside of the qualification bracket at no. 5. However, they have two more points than DC, and one extra game in hand, giving them a more realistic shot at regaining their footing in the playoffs race. All that, should they be able to snap out of their recent slump.
When: Sunday, May 17 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
What to expect: It's the centre wicket of an already small ground, but Delhi have been unpredictable here. It's the same track where they nearly chased down 210 and, one game later, crashed to 75 all out.
Head to Head: It's been a neck-to-neck fight at 16-15 in Delhi's favour. In Delhi, though, the hosts have a comfortable 7-3 lead.
Teams Watch
Delhi Capitals
Injuries & Availability: There are no reported injuries or availability concerns in the home team's camp.
Tactics & Matchups: After finally finding some crucial middle-order runs, Axar Patel would be rearing to contribute more with the bat. His battle against Ravindra Jadeja - having scored 81 runs in 43 balls off the spinner at an impressive strike-rate of 188.37 - makes it an interesting middle-overs battle to watch-out for. Miller, too, strikes at 171.08 against the Indian spinner.
Probable XII:KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi Dar, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi
Rajasthan Royals
Injuries & Availability: Riyan Parag is fit to lead again after last playing against the same side on May 1.
Tactics & Matchups: Jofra Archer, even though on a bit of a decline, has always been key in the Powerplay for RR with the ball, and against KL Rahul he holds the edge. Rahul strikes at nearly 140 against the English pacer, but has lost his wicket to him thrice, setting up an intriguing battle upfront.
Probable XII: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma
Did you know?
- DC have won the last three head-to-head contests against RR and also won the last four H2H against them in Delhi.
- Delhi are at the bottom of the 10-team table in terms of their win percentage at home in IPL 2026 with just one win in six matches so far.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has hit the most number of Powerplay sixes in an IPL season (32*)
What they said:
"He's a fantastic young player, isn't he? I mean, the talent is absolutely scary. And we want to get him out early. There's no doubt. I think when you play Rajasthan Royals, I think he's the prize wicket. And you want to get him out early because you know the damage he can do if he stays at that crease long enough." -Ian Bell, DC assistant coach, on the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi threat
"I think 'handle' is a strange word. Vaibhav is a supremely talented batter. He's very young. And the key thing for Vaibhav is to enjoy every moment. He'll have good days, he'll have not so good days. It's absolutely fine. The worst thing we can do is clutter his mind. And that's something we avoid. We have a conversation with him if he needs it. It's never technical. It's never to do with cricket. Sometimes you've got to get their minds off the game... The most important thing about Vaibhav that I've seen is he reads the game very well. So he's a smart little kid. And he'll keep understanding himself and the game and how to be in groups as he grows up. But so far, he's been a wonderful addition. Not just in terms of the runs he scores, but around the group. He's held his own with all his senior players. He loves a joke, he loves a smile, he loves a bit of banter. And he's formed some really good relationships. So, sometimes the best thing is to let Vaibhav be Vaibhav." - Kumar Sangakkara, RR head coach, on how he "handles" Vaibhav Sooryavanshi