IPL 2025: High-stakes clash as Delhi Capitals to face Rajasthan Royals in a crucial league encounter

New Delhi, April 15: An important match of the league stage of IPL 2025 will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday evening, when the once again back on track Delhi Capitals team will take on the struggling Rajasthan Royals. This match is an opportunity for Delhi to regain the top spot, while for Rajasthan, it is a do-or-die situation.

Delhi Capitals are currently second in the points table with four wins and eight points from five matches. Captain KL Rahul's calm leadership style and Kuldeep Yadav's deadly spin bowling have been the mainstay of the team's strength. If Delhi wins this match, it can overtake Gujarat Titans to reach the first position due to a better net run rate.

On the other hand, the situation of the Rajasthan Royals is quite worrying. With just two wins in six matches, they are in the eighth position in the points table. In the last two matches, they had to face a crushing defeat first by 58 runs from Gujarat and then by 9 wickets from RCB. Weakness is visible in both the batting and bowling departments.

KL Rahul's return to form is proving to be a boon for Delhi. Rahul, who struggled last season, has scored three half-centuries in five matches this time, including a brilliant innings of 93 runs not out in 54 balls against RCB. At the same time, Kuldeep Yadav has baffled the batsmen with his spin. He has taken 10 wickets so far at an average of just 11.20.

The Rajasthan team has failed to perform collectively. Captain Sanju Samson and all-rounder Riyan Parag have certainly played some good innings, but the balance of the team has been shaky. Young batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored only 126 runs in six matches, while Jos Buttler's performance has also been unstable. Jofra Archer is not getting support in bowling and the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal have also failed to take wickets consistently.

Wednesday's match could prove to be a decisive one for the season. While this win will put Delhi firmly in the playoff zone, a Rajasthan defeat could almost put them out of contention.

The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium has generally been spinner-friendly, but recent night matches have seen over 180 runs being scored here. The weather is likely to be dry and hot, so the toss could play a key role and batting in the second innings could be beneficial due to dew.

Delhi is unlikely to change their winning combination, although the option of resting the fast bowlers could be kept open. Rajasthan could make some big changes — Devdutt Padikkal and Obed McCoy could be included in the playing XI.

As the IPL caravan reaches the capital, cricket lovers are expecting a thrilling contest. Will Delhi come out on top or Rajasthan make a comeback by creating history — the answer will be known on Wednesday.

Delhi Capitals Probable XI:

Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abhishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (captain), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Mohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav

Rajasthan Royals Probable XI:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (captain and wicketkeeper), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Mahish Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande