Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals are set to clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Friday, coming off two contrasting results. While the Royals delivered a near-flawless performance to hand the season's first defeat to table-toppers Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh on Tuesday, the Capitals suffered a humiliating loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru a day earlier on their home ground.
Royals Riding High on Confidence
After cracking the Punjab Kings code on their home turf, the Royals are brimming with confidence and aim to strengthen their playoff prospects with another win against a struggling Delhi Capitals side that has lost three consecutive matches. The standout positive for the Riyan Parag-led team has been the effectiveness of the middle order. A clinical finish by Donovan Ferreira and impact substitute Shubham Dubey helped them chase down a challenging 223-run target in their previous outing, securing their sixth win in nine matches. This tense victory not only kept RR in the top four but also provided crucial momentum as the tournament approaches its business end.
Capitals Looking to Halt Slide
In contrast, Delhi Capitals find themselves on the back foot, having registered only three wins from eight matches so far. Placed seventh in the standings, the Axar Patel-led side will be eager to arrest their slide with a win on Friday. Pace ace Mitchell Starc is set to return after receiving clearance from Cricket Australia. With Lungi Ngidi still unavailable due to a head injury, Starc's inclusion comes as a timely boost for DC.
Head-to-Head Record
- Matches played: 30
- Rajasthan Royals won: 15
- Delhi Capitals won: 15
Pitch Report
Match 43 between the Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals will be held at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Historically a balanced ground, the surface in the 2026 season has trended toward being a batter's paradise with significant high-scoring potential. Heavy evening dew is anticipated after sunset, which will make the ball exceptionally slippery, handicapping spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi in the second innings. The black-soil surfaces here tend to keep the bounce on the lower side.
Weather Update
Jaipur will simmer under 40 degrees Celsius heat through the afternoon, with the air staying heavy well into the evening. While the afternoon peak reached nearly 41°C, temperatures will gradually drop into the 30s as the match progresses. Even during the evening, the heat will be physically demanding. The feels-like temperature is expected to remain slightly higher than the actual reading due to the dry summer air.
Predicted Playing XIs
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma. Impact Player: Yash Raj Punja/Ravi Bishnoi.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Sahil Parakh, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, T. Natarajan. Impact Player: Vipraj Nigam/Auqib Nabi.
Live Streaming Details
The RR vs DC clash will be held at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, with the match set to begin at 7:30 PM IST. The game will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, while live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.
Squads
Rajasthan Royals Squad: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja, Ravi Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Shimron Hetmyer, Adam Milne, Aman Rao Perala, Vignesh Puthur, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kwena Maphaka, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sushant Mishra, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma.
Delhi Capitals Squad: Sahil Parakh, KL Rahul(w), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel(c), Dushmantha Chameera, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Auqib Nabi Dar, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay, Abishek Porel, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Pathum Nissanka, Rehan Ahmed, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Karun Nair.
