New Delhi [India], May 17 (ANI): Delhi Capitals (DC) won the toss and opted to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Notably, Ravindra Jadeja has been rested by RR due to workload management, with Ravi Singh coming into the playing XI as his replacement.
After winning the toss, DC captain Axar Patel said that winning boosts the team’s confidence and confirmed Tripurana Vijay’s debut, while stressing the side’s focus on performing well with both bat and ball regardless of the pitch conditions.
“We will bowl first. It feels good if we win and the confidence also grows. Tripurana Vijay makes his debut. We will try to bat and bowl well no matter how the wicket behaves,” Axar said at the toss presentation.
Meanwhile, RR captain Riyan Parag said he was uncertain about the pitch, noting that while it looked dry, previous matches suggested chasing had been easier despite the surface slowing down later. The Rajasthan Royals skipper admitted the team has struggled to defend totals in recent games but hopes to improve in this match. He also confirmed one change to the lineup, with Ravindra Jadeja rested for workload management and Ravi Singh replacing him.
“I was pretty unsure about the wicket as well. It looks like it’s dry, but then we’ve seen the past scores and results here, chasing has been better, though it also tends to slow down a bit later on. So I was a little confused, but happy to bowl first because of that. We’ve had some ups and downs in the last few games. I think we haven’t defended totals very well. But today gives us another opportunity to do that and hopefully get it right. We’ve had a few injuries here and there. There’s just one change. Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) is out because of workload management and all of that, and Ravi Singh comes in for us,” Parag said.
Although the Delhi Capitals are not yet mathematically eliminated from the race for a playoff spot, their chances of finishing in the top four look extremely slim. With only two league matches left, the Axar Patel-led side cannot afford another defeat, as even one loss would end their campaign. DC are placed eighth on the IPL 2026 standings with just fives wins in 12 matches.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals began their campaign strongly, registering four wins on the bounce, but the Riyan Parag-led side has struggled to maintain momentum in recent times. With three league games still to play, RR have a strong opportunity to strengthen their playoff hopes with a victory over DC today. They are currently positioned fifth with 12 points and six wins in 11 matches.
DC vs RR playing 11s:
Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul(w), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel(c), Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar.
Delhi Capitals Impact subs: Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Vipraj Nigam, Pathum Nissanka, Karun Nair.
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Ravi Singh, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja.
Rajasthan Royals Impact subs: Dasun Shanaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala. (ANI)
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