IPL 2026, RR vs DC 43rd Match Match Preview

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Big picture: DC get the Starc boost

Starc was recovering from a shoulder injury and joined the squad only a few days ago. While he hasn’t played a match in more than three months, he has been bowling in the DC nets and would be raring to go.

DC, too, need this boost desperately. They are on a three-match losing streak and were bowled out for 75 in their previous outing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Apart from that, they have struggled to create impact with the new ball and have picked up just seven wickets in the powerplay this season, the joint-fewest along with Kolkata Knight Riders. For comparison, RR, the best team in that phase, have taken 21. Jofra Archer alone has picked up nine. Beyond numbers, Starc against RR’s belligerent opening pair of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal should be a mouth-watering contest.

RR will be confident after their win against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Tuesday. Playing in New Chandigarh, they chased down 223 to hand the hosts their first defeat of the season. RR now have two wins in their last three games. If they beat DC, they could – depending on the Gujarat Titans vs RCB result – even top the points table.

After this, RR have only one match in the next 15 days.

Rajasthan Royals WLWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Delhi Capitals LLLWL

RR could go with the same side that beat PBKS, with Ravi Bishnoi once again missing out.

Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 3 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 4 Riyan Parag (capt), 5 Donovan Ferreira, 6 Shubham Dubey, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Brijesh Sharma, 12 Yash Raj Punja

As Starc comes in, Kyle Jamieson may have to sit out. Lungi Ngidi is once again unlikely to be available.

Delhi Capitals (probable): 1 KL Rahul (wk), 2 Sahil Parakh, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Sameer Rizvi, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 David Miller, 7 Vipraj Nigam, 8 Axar Patel (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Dushmantha Chameera, 12 T Natarajan

In the spotlight: Jofra Archer and Sameer Rizvi

Jofra Archer has been at his fiery best this season, especially in the powerplay. Four times he has taken a wicket in his first over of the match, including three times off the very first ball. Only once has he gone wicketless in the powerplay. Given what happened in DC’s previous game, their batters will be vary of the Archer threat.

Sameer Rizvi started the season with scores of 70 not out and 90. But since then, his returns have plummeted. In his last five innings, he has four single-digit dismissals, including two ducks. That has created a void in DC’s middle order. The team management would want him to regain his form before it is too late.

The match will be played on pitch no. 4. In the last three night games played on this particular pitch in the IPL, teams batting first scored 196 for 3, 217 for 2 and 206 for 8. Two of those ended in losing causes. So expect another high-scoring game.

“It is not like if you lose one game, you become nervous in the next game. Our approach will remain the same. If we bat first, we will try to put up a good total and then defend it. Scoring 250 in one game and 75 in another is not nervousness; that is just how the game goes. Whether we bat first or bowl first, the idea is to control the game and minimise mistakes. If we play good cricket, the result will take care of itself.”
DC bowling coach Munaf Patel

Source link