Jofra Archer to Fraser-McGurk, no run

Fraser-McGurk and Abishek Porel are at the crease. Fraser-McGurk is on strike. Jofra Archer will open the attack

Out walk the Delhi openers. It is Abhishek Porel with JFM to open the batting.

Karun Nair: Amazing to get an opportunity, get a 50. Very happy to have them (his parents) tere as well. They are here again, hopefully I can perform once again. (On his plans against Bumrah last match) I wasn’t targeting any player specifically. Was just looking to attack and play. I had the complete freedom and confidence of the dressing room.

STAT: Each of the last nine T20s in Delhi were won by the side batting first and the side batting first scored 200+ in each of the last eight matches.

Here are the Impact substitutes for both the teams:

Delhi Capitals Impact Subs: Mukesh Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay

Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Singh Rathore

Teams:

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Nitish Rana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul(w), Axar Patel(c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma

Axar Patel: Would have bowled as well.

Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and have opted to field

Sanju Samson:

Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and have opted to field

Pitch Report | Greame Swann and Shane Watson: Dimensions - 61m to the right and 62m to the left, 72m straight. Not a great place to be a bowler. It is a nice surface, we saw in the last game as well when 205 runs were scored. It is a bit drier today so it gives the bowlers enough assistance. There’s decent grass cover but it is a bit patchy. The average winning score last season was 230, but this surface will give the bowlers a little more grip for the spinners and the quick bowlers with their change-ups. Looks like an even surface that gives the bowlers a little bit and the batters a little bit as well. But because of the dimensions, there are a few more challenges for the bowlers.

Games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium have been the batsman's best friend in the recent past. A small ground, a flat deck and lightning fast outfields have made this a haven for run scoring. We can expect a run fest tonight in the IPL to counter last night's low scoring thriller. Stick around for the toss and pitch report.

The Royals on the other hand have had a very start-stop kind of season thus far. They lost their first two games, conceding 286 runs on opening day against a marauding Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, the Royals bounced back with wins over CSK and PBKS, but that’s how long the streak lasted. Their wins were clipped once again with successive defeats against Gujarat and RCB, and now run the risk of losing three in a row. Just like their results, their players also have lacked consistency, but presents a new opportunity for the likes of Jaiswal, Samson or Parag to make a big statement.

18:28 Local Time, 12:58 GMT, 18:28 IST:

Preview by Purnima Malhotra

With their unbeaten juggernaut halted after a stinging loss in their homecoming, Delhi Capitals would be determined to bounce back to winning ways by prolonging Rajasthan Royals' misery when the two clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday (April 16).

Despite a statement knock from Karun Nair on IPL comeback after a three-year exile, a middle-order collapse and harakiri from the tail saw Delhi concede their first points in IPL 2025 from a winning position. As much as it was down Mumbai Indians' ability to handle their nerves, tactics and ground fielding better, the 12-run defeat saw Delhi join the long list of teams who've gone through hiccups as soon as they hit their base. The dew, that should have made the 206-run chase easier, was countered with the second new ball that MI expertly resorted to once Nair departed.

DC, on paper, do have most bases covered. The lack of opening platform notwithstanding - Jake Fraser-McGurk has tallied only 46 runs at a strike-rate of 100 and a 100 per cent record of falling within the PowerPlay - Delhi's batters have all stepped up at different points. That said, losing wickets to spin might be an area of concern for the batting group. All combined, DC's batters have been striking at 159.38 against spin which is the second-best among the 10 teams, but at the same time they also average only 24.47 against the slower bowlers - second from bottom. With some purchase for spinners in the Kotla tracks - nine of the 12 wickets fell to spin in the MI fixture - it's a trend DC would want to closely monitor, and rectify as they aim to jump back to the top of the table.

Rajasthan Royals' batters, meanwhile, haven't fared any better against spin and boast of only a marginally better average of 24.85. Inevitably, their toughest spin test is loading against Kuldeep Yadav who - irrespective of ground dimensions, dew and pitches - has held his own amidst the madcap hitting with best-in-the-league economy of 5.6 in five games (minimum 10 overs). Axar Patel, the DC captain, meanwhile, has had the wood over two of their premier batters - his counterpart Sanju Samson (70 runs in 63 balls, 2 dismissals) and local hero Nitish Rana (37 runs in 31 balls, 2 dismissals).

RR's batting overall hasn't inspired much confidence - Riyan Parag is struggling to replicate his IPL 2024 form that earned him his India debut, Samson and Rana have only a fifty each, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer have both blown hot and cold. The batting-friendly climes of Delhi might just be the respite RR's faltering batting unit needs to hit its straps.

When: Wednesday, April 16 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

What to expect: The centre wicket at the Kotla ground will ensure equal square boundaries but a run-fest nonetheless. The outfield is fast, the ground dimensions small and the flat tracks have led to high-scoring affairs at the venue. Add to it the heavy dew that made an appearance in Delhi's first home game of the season, and chasing might just be more preferable and logical choice here.

Head to head: Rajasthan lead the neck-to-neck fight 15-14 and have a similar one-game advantage over DC in their encounters since 2022. At the Kotla ground, though, DC have held the edge with six wins to RR's three in the nine games at home.

Teams Watch

Delhi Capitals

Injuries/Availability: "He's recovering well," is the official word without any clarity on the availability of Faf du Plessis for a second successive home game. With him out injured, Jake Fraser-McGurk is likely to get the long rope. Delhi have anyway been fielding only three overseas players in the South African's absence. After his heroics on comeback, Karun Nair may see himself promoted to the starting XI - maybe even get the opener's slot.

Tactics & Matchups: Jaiswal has three single-digit scores to alternate with his impact knocks of 29, 67 and 75 this season, and DC would rely on Mukesh Kumar to keep the young opener quiet. The pacer has dismissed Jaiswal both times they went face-to-face previously in IPL, conceding only seven runs in nine deliveries he sent down to the batter.

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

Rajasthan Royals

Injuries/Availability: Barring their head coach confined to a wheelchair, there's nothing to report here.

Tactics & Matchups: Sandeep Sharma has had an exceptional run against Delhi in the IPL with 20 wickets in 18 matches and an impressive economy of 7.29. His dot-ball percentage is also nearly 43, making him a vital cog in RR's pace attack as they look for those early breakthroughs.

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

Did you know?

- Nitish Rana may be a Delhi local, but he averages only18.9 in 10 T20 innings at his home ground

- As of Match 30, Rajasthan Royals have conceded the most no.of extras in IPL 2025 - 74

- KL Rahul averages nearly 51 against RR in 16 matches, at a strike-rate of 132.52, with a personal best of 95*

What they said:

"It's good - please do check those bats. As it is we see such huge sixes. If a bat or two are caught to be oversized then ban them too" - Mohit Sharma, DC medium-pacer, had a good laugh about the customary bat-checks in the weekend double-header.

"If the team demands it from me, I will never back down. If the understanding of the game says that I should go and tell Sanju or anyone that I can do something good here or I can bowl here, I will definitely say it. But there is no need to over-complicate things too, I guess. I've always tried to do whatever [challenge] is thrown at me that can benefit my team - be it bowling, batting or anything else. I also want to bowl regularly because I think I'm a decent enough bowler. If the situation calls for it, why not? Let me talk to Sanju [Samson, captain]" - RR's Nitish Rana is eager and willing to explore the spinner in him if given the opportunity.