Sports Desk
16 April
Sandeep Dhand
Journalist Research Analysist
After a brilliant start to their IPL 2025 campaign, Delhi Capitals faced their first defeat on home ground. Now, led by stand-in captain Axar Patel, the team is determined to bounce back with a victory over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday.
Delhi had won four consecutive matches before Mumbai Indians defeated them at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. That loss pushed Delhi from the top of the points table to second place. Despite the setback, Delhi doesn’t have time to reflect much, as they play again within two days.
On the other side, Rajasthan Royals are struggling. With only 2 wins out of 6 matches, they are placed at the 8th position. Captain Sanju Samson’s team has failed to perform consistently. Their batting has been weak, and the bowlers have not been able to control the opposition.
In Delhi’s last match, Karun Nair was the shining star, making 89 runs off 40 balls on debut. At one stage, Delhi was cruising at 119/1 in 11 overs. However, a sudden collapse saw them lose 9 wickets for just 74 runs. Shockingly, three of their batters were run out in the final over, and they lost the game by 12 runs.
Delhi may rely heavily on their spinners once again. Kuldeep Yadav and 20-year-old Vipraj Nigam were impressive even in the loss. However, Axar Patel has been out of form. He hasn’t taken a single wicket in 14 overs across six matches and has been expensive, conceding over 10 runs per over. He has also failed to make an impact with the bat.
The explosive opener Jake Fraser-McGurk, who impressed last season, is also not in form, scoring only 46 runs so far. With Faf du Plessis out due to injury, Karun Nair seems to have secured his place in the playing XI. In the middle order, KL Rahul has taken responsibility, supported by Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, and Nigam.
Rajasthan Royals’ biggest issue is the lack of consistency. Except for Yashasvi Jaiswal’s half-century against RCB, their top order has failed. Sanju Samson is yet to play a big knock, while Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel have also struggled. In the bowling department, Jofra Archer has been expensive, and only Sandeep Sharma has shown some control.
As both teams prepare to clash, Delhi will look to regain their momentum, while Rajasthan will hope to find form and climb up the points table.