After suffering their first defeat of the IPL 2025 season against Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals are aiming to bounce back when they take on Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.
A middle-order collapse cost Delhi dearly in their previous outing, but pacer Mohit Sharma believes the loss has only strengthened the team’s resolve.
If we look back at the last match, we were almost through, but the middle order collapsed and that’s why we lost. That said, in a tournament as big as this, defeats are inevitable.
Delhi have enjoyed one of their best starts to an IPL season, and Axar Patel’s calm and composed leadership has played a big role in their early success.
The atmosphere is very good. Axar and I go back a long way. He hasn’t changed a bit after becoming captain. He keeps things light and doesn’t overcomplicate anything. After the loss, his message was simple — what’s done is done, let’s control what we can going forward.
Sharma also backed the newly introduced ball-change rule in the second innings, calling it a “game-changer” for bowlers.
A hard ball makes a big difference. If I’m bowling the 14th or 15th over and get a new ball, my yorkers are more effective. The dry ball doesn’t slip — it’s definitely an advantage.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals find themselves in a tough spot with four losses in six games. Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s form — with two fifties in his last three innings — the rest of the top and middle order has struggled to build on promising starts.
Skipper Sanju Samson has only managed 50 runs in total, while Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer have failed to deliver consistently. The Royals have been aggressive in the powerplay but have not been able to convert that momentum into match-winning totals.
Rajasthan will need to address their middle-over approach and find a way to stabilise their innings if they want to return to winning ways.
For Delhi, fitness concerns remain over Faf du Plessis, whose absence has been noticeable. Jake Fraser-McGurk, who stepped in, is yet to make a major impact, though Karun Nair has been a valuable late addition to the line-up.
The two teams have met 29 times in the IPL, with Delhi Capitals holding a slight edge, winning 15 to Rajasthan’s 14. Wednesday’s match could tilt that balance yet again.
Probable Playing XIs: Delhi Capitals: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (capt), Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (capt & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Madhwal, Sandeep Sharma.
