The 43rd encounter of the 19th Indian Premier League is set to take place between RR and DC. The Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc is likely to make his comeback against this team as well in a venue of Sawai Mansingh Stadium (SMS) in Jaipur.
Mitchell Starc has been out of action for quite some time now due to elbow and shoulder injuries. Starc has suffered from these injuries after the Ashes, where he took 31 wickets across five Test matches and made a record average of 19.93 along with winning the Player of the Series award.
Starc's return will further strengthen Delhi's bowling. In addition to Starc, Prithvi Shaw could get a chance to open alongside KL Rahul. Captain Axar Patel will need to contribute as an all-rounder. KL Rahul, Stubbs, Miller, and Kuldeep could prove crucial for the team.
RR openers Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been a topic of discussion throughout the season. A fierce rivalry between Starc and Vaibhav Suryavanshi is expected. Suryavanshi has thrashed some of the world's leading bowlers so far. So, will he be able to hit fours and sixes against Starc, or will the Australian bowlers overpower him?
Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey have strengthened the middle order with their performances in the last match. The team will be hoping for match-winning performances from captain Riyan Parag, wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, fast bowlers Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravi Bishnoi against DC.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals have suffered three consecutive defeats. Therefore, they are fully prepared to regain their momentum and stay in the playoff race by winning this match. Rajasthan Royals have had a stellar performance so far this season. They currently occupy fourth place in the points table with 12 points after winning six out of nine matches. The team is brimming with confidence after defeating the formidable Punjab Kings in their last match.
Regarding Delhi Capitals, they are in seventh place with six points from eight matches and only three wins. This match is crucial for DC to keep their hopes of a playoff berth alive. A defeat against Rajasthan Royals could be a major blow to the team's playoff chances. The two teams have faced each other 30 times so far and have won 15 times each.
Probable Playing XI for Team Rajasthan Royals - Riyan Parag (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi
Probable Playing XI for Team Delhi Capitals - Axar Patel (captain), Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, T. Natarajan, Aaqib Nabi