Royals win toss, choose to bowl in bid to tame in-form Capitals

As the IPL 2025 rolls into its mid-season phase, Rajasthan Royals find themselves in a precarious position, languishing at eighth on the points table with just two wins from six outings. Hoping to turn their faltering campaign around, the Royals will take the field against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday, opting to bowl first in what could be a defining encounter. Both teams have opted to stick with unchanged playing XIs.

In stark contrast, the Capitals had been enjoying a purple patch, stringing together four consecutive wins and appearing every bit the title contenders under the leadership of Axar Patel. However, a dramatic batting collapse against Mumbai Indians in their last game brought that momentum to a screeching halt. What was expected to be a celebratory homecoming turned into a sobering defeat, pushing DC down to second place in the standings.

While the Capitals will be disappointed at missing out on valuable points, they have little time to reflect as they gear up for another high-stakes fixture. Spin will once again be pivotal for Delhi. Despite the evening dew potentially making conditions tricky, Kuldeep Yadav and young leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam have been revelations this season, consistently outwitting batters with their guile and variations.

However, captain Axar Patel is yet to make an impression with the ball. Though he has marshaled his troops effectively, the left-arm spinner has gone wicketless across 14 overs in six games, leaking runs at an economy rate nearing 10.

Rajasthan, meanwhile, continue to grapple with inconsistency. Their batting unit, led by domestic stalwarts, has underperformed. Yashasvi Jaiswal showed a glimpse of form with a fluent half-century in the loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore, but his overall returns have been underwhelming. Skipper Sanju Samson is still searching for a defining innings, while youngsters Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel have flickered without delivering substantial contributions.

On the bowling front, Jofra Archer has shown signs of regaining rhythm following his record-expensive spell earlier in the tournament. However, apart from Sandeep Sharma’s reliable performances, the Royals’ bowling attack has lacked bite and discipline, struggling to contain runs and take wickets at crucial junctures.

DC vs RR, IPL 2025: Teams

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Nitish Rana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpand.

Delhi Capitals: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (w), Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma