Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals: Preview and Prediction

IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals Preview, Head-to-Head Record, Key Players, Predicted XIs, and Prediction

Axar Patel is leading an IPL team for the first time and has already gotten off to a fine start

Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals are scheduled to lock horns in the 32nd match of the ongoing Indian Premier League season on Wednesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

On paper, the match is tilted towards the Delhi Capitals, who have been sensational in the tournament so far. The Royals have had their moments but have not been able to take control and assert their dominance, with the top players being inconsistent. 

What has happened so far?

Delhi Capitals have arguably been the best team of the IPL 2025 so far. They have won four out of five matches this season, and their only defeat came in their previous outing, at the hands of the Mumbai Indians. They are sitting pretty in the second position in the points table with a solid net run-rate of +0.899, and a win in this encounter will propel them to the top of the table.

As for the Royals, their fortunes are exactly in contrast to the Capitals this season. Sanju Samson and his men are struggling for consistency this time around and are languishing in eighth place in the league standings with only two wins from six matches so far. Their net run-rate of -0.838 is the third third-worst among 10 teams after Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings.

They are not yet in a must-win situation, but they might soon find themselves there if they don’t start winning regularly. Another loss will also hamper their chances of making it to the playoffs. The Capitals, meanwhile, can breathe easy with a healthy Net Run Rate as well, but they would want to maximise their form and get as many wins under their belt as possible. 

Key Players

KL Rahul is a key player for Delhi Capitals in their lineup

KL Rahul (Delhi Capitals): KL Rahul has been a sensation so far for the Capitals in his new role. He has played four matches so far in IPL 2025 and has amassed 200 runs at an average of 66.66 and a strike rate of 163.93, with two fifties to his name. 

His best performance was against RCB, when he made 93 not out in only 53 balls, helping his side chase down 164 after they had slipped to 58-4 in 8.4 overs. He started slowly before exploding at his home ground against his former franchise to set up a memorable chase. 

Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals): Sanju Samson hasn’t been at his best yet in IPL 2025, as the Royals skipper has managed to score 193 runs in six matches at an average of 32.16 and a strike rate of 140.87. 

Samson has been getting starts, but he is yet to convert them into a big one like he did regularly last season, and the former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid would be hoping that the wicket-keeper batter can deliver on his promise in the capital city on Wednesday.

Team News from Both Camps

Delhi Capitals are likely to miss Faf du Plessis for a few more matches after it was confirmed he aggravated his unspecified injury by fielding in the game against RCB. He did not play against the Mumbai Indians and is unlikely to field against the Rajasthan Royals either. 

Moreover, Mohit Sharma and Ashutosh Sharma collided while taking a catch in the previous game. Both of them got hurt, but the latter came out to bat later in the innings. There is no news of any injury to Mohit as of yet.

Rajasthan Royals have no reported injuries at the moment, but they have already used 15 players this season in search of the best combination. Their bowling attack seems to struggle when Jofra Archer doesn’t get wickets upfront, and it remains to be seen if they will make more changes in the game against the Delhi Capitals.

Predicted XIIs

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

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson © (wk), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Kumar Kartikeya

Head to Head Record

When it comes to the head-to-head record between these two teams, the battle has been very close. Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals have faced each other 29 times in IPL history, with the former winning on 14 occasions, while the Royals have won 15 matches so far against DC.

When it comes to the last five encounters, the Royals have an upper hand with three wins, while the Capitals have emerged victorious twice. Interestingly, in the last four games between these two teams, the team batting first has ended up winning the match.

Prediction

The current form of both teams and the venue where they are playing point to the fact that Delhi Capitals are the favorites to win this match. In the last game at the venue, Delhi nearly pulled off the run chase of 206 against Mumbai Indians, but some last-minute harakiri saw them miss out by 12 runs. 

Axar’s men also have confidence and should be backed to get the two extra points against a side that has failed to impress thus far in IPL 2025.