Delhi Capitals, who suffered their first defeat at home after a strong start to IPL 2025, will aim to bounce back and return to winning ways against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. After winning four consecutive matches, Delhi, captained by Akshar Patel, was defeated by Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. Following this defeat, Delhi slipped from the top position to second place. On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals are in eighth place, having won only two out of six matches. The team, captained by Sanju Samson, has struggled to maintain consistent form.

Karun Nair’s Debut for Delhi

Domestic cricket veteran Karun Nair made his debut for Delhi against Mumbai Indians, scoring an impressive 89 runs off 40 balls. At one point, Delhi was 119 for 1 in the 11th over. However, they lost their last nine wickets for just 74 runs. Three batsmen were run out on the final three balls of the 19th over, and Delhi lost by 12 runs. There was no time for Delhi to mourn the defeat as they would face Rajasthan Royals the very next day.

Spinners Could Play Key Role for Delhi

Spinners may prove to be the key to success for Delhi. Despite the loss, Kuldeep Yadav and 20-year-old Vipraaj Nigam performed well. However, Akshar Patel has struggled, failing to take a wicket in six matches despite bowling 14 overs. He has also given away runs at a rate of more than 10 per over and has not made an impact with the bat either.

Jack Fraser McGurk, who was aggressive last season, is out of form, scoring only 46 runs so far. With Faf du Plessis sidelined due to injury, Nair’s place in the team seems secure. KL Rahul will lead the middle order, supported by Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, and Nigam.

Rajasthan Royals’ Struggles

Rajasthan Royals have been struggling with consistency. Yashasvi Jaiswal managed a half-century against RCB in the last match, but captain Sanju Samson has yet to play a good inning. The bats of Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel have also been quiet.

In bowling, Jofra Archer has been expensive, and apart from Sandeep Sharma, no other bowler has been able to control the run rate.

Team Lineups

Delhi Capitals:

Axar Patel (captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Karun Nair, Faf du Plessis, Donovan Ferreira, Abhishek Porel (wicketkeeper), Tristan Stubbs (wicketkeeper), Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Manwant Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwary, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav.

Rajasthan Royals:

Sanju Samson (captain), Riyan Parag, Shubham Dube, Vaibhav Suryawanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Rana, Yudhveer Singh, Jofra Archer, Mahesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Karthikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Quena Mphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.