DC vs RR preview: Wounded Delhi Capitals take on desperate Rajasthan Royals; check head-to-head, pitch report, more

Delhi Capitals will host Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday, 17 May. The match starts at 7:30 PM IST.

Delhi have been eliminated. But, so far, such teams have lit the fire in this tournament. Both LSG and MI have been “giant-killers”. DC have the power to deliver as well.

The Royals enjoyed a great time in the first half of the tournament. But, then, they lost momentum and started losing games. They have lost 3 of their last 5 matches. In 11 matches, Rajasthan have 12 points and need to win at least 2 out of their next 3, including this one.

Match Logistics

The match is at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, starting at 7:30 PM IST. It will be broadcast on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar.

The stadium has a seating capacity of around 35,200 to 41,000 spectators. It was previously called the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. Established in 1883, the venue is India's second-oldest functional cricket stadium after Kolkata's Eden Gardens.

Head-to-Head Record

DC and RR have faced each other 31 times in the IPL. DC lead the rivalry narrowly with 16 wins to RR's 15. No match has ended without a result. DC's highest score against RR is 226; their lowest is 60. RR's highest score is 225, and its lowest is 115.

Recent results have been closely contested. DC won by 7 wickets in 2026 and claimed a Super Over victory in 2025 after the match ended in a tie. RR won both encounters in 2023 and one in 2024, while DC also won one in 2024.

At Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, DC hold a 7-4 advantage over RR. At Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, RR lead 5-3 though DC won the most recent match there in IPL 2026.

Ajinkya Rahane leads all run-scorers in this fixture with 611 runs. Jos Buttler holds the highest individual score, 116 off 65 balls, scored in 2022. Amit Mishra tops the bowling charts with 20 wickets.

Predicted Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi Dar, Lungi Ngidi (Impact Player).

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma (Impact Player).

Team News

RR captain Riyan Parag is fit again after missing the Gujarat Titans match with a hamstring niggle. He has resumed batting in the nets and is highly likely to return to the playing XII. Sam Curran and Ben Duckett both remain injured and completely unavailable for selection.

Dasun Shanaka continues as Curran's tournament replacement. Delhi Capitals report a fully fit core squad with no injury concerns.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav is expected to be drafted back into the starting lineup. He is likely to exploit the spin-friendly nature of the Delhi surface.

Both PBKS and RCB head into the Dharamshala fixture with completely clean bills of health. No fresh injury concerns have been reported from either camp.

Shreyas Iyer and Rajat Patidar both have their full-strength squads available. Both captains are expected to stick with their winning combinations tonight.

Key Players to Watch

KL Rahul (DC): The Delhi batter leads Delhi's batting with 477 runs this season. He acts as the team's primary anchor throughout every innings.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR): All eyes are on Vaibhav whenever he comes to bat. It’ll be the same tonight as well. If he gets going, nothing can stop the Royals.

Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR): The southpaw is RR's explosive opener with 315 runs this season. He is crucial for giving Rajasthan fast powerplay starts.

Riyan Parag (RR): The Rajasthan skipper returns as captain after his hamstring injury. His middle-order power hitting anchors the entire Royals batting unit.

Axar Patel (DC): The Delhi captain provides critical lower-order runs. He delivers economical spin overs on a helpful Delhi surface.

Jofra Archer (RR): The Rajasthan pacer has taken 15 wickets in 11 matches so far. He has a knack for sending batters back to the pavilion on the first ball itself.

Mitchell Starc (DC): The Australian pacer has taken 5 wickets in 4 matches. However, his economy is 10.53. If he can control that, he is more lethal than anybody in the game.

Pitch and Conditions

New Delhi is under a yellow alert for a severe daytime heatwave today. Temperatures will peak at 42°C in the afternoon.

However, conditions cool significantly by match time. Evening temperatures during play will range between 29°C and 35°C. Skies will be completely clear throughout the night. No rain disruption is expected for this fixture.

Arun Jaitley Stadium features a flat, black-soil, batting-friendly surface. Short boundaries and a rapid outfield guarantee a high-scoring environment tonight.

Spinners will find decent grip and turn during the crucial middle overs. This makes Kuldeep Yadav a particularly potent weapon for Delhi on this surface.

Evening humidity will range between 40% and 55%. Heavy dew is highly likely to develop during the second innings.

The ball will become slippery and difficult for bowlers to grip. The toss winner is expected to bowl first and chase under dew-assisted conditions.