Rajasthan had a fabulous start to the IPL 2026. But, then, they lost the momentum. In the last 5 matches, they lost 3. With 12 points, they are still steady at the 4th position on the points table. They'll play their 10th game today.

It's the same story for Delhi. They also had an impressive start to the tournament. Now, they have lost 4 out of their last 5 matches. In 8 matches, they have won 3 and stand in 7th position.

Match Logistics

The game is at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, on Friday, 1 May, at 7:30 PM IST, with the toss at 7 PM IST. The match will be broadcast live on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar.

Head-to-Head Record

DC and RR have faced each other 30 times in the IPL. The head-to-head record is perfectly level at 15 wins each. DC's highest team total against RR stands at 221. Their lowest score in this fixture is just 60. RR's best total against DC is 222, and their lowest is 115.

Recent results have been closely contested between both sides. DC won a dramatic Super Over thriller against RR in IPL 2025. Both teams split the two encounters in IPL 2024, one win each. RR won convincingly by 57 runs in Guwahati during IPL 2023.

At Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium, RR hold a strong home advantage. They have won 5 of the 7 meetings held there. DC have managed only 2 wins at that venue.

Ajinkya Rahane leads all run-scorers in this fixture with 611 runs. Rishabh Pant follows with 400 runs in the same rivalry. Amit Mishra holds the most wickets with 20 scalps overall. Jos Buttler's 116 off 65 balls in IPL 2022 remains the highest individual score. None of these players will be involved in tonight's match.

Predicted Playing XI

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja (Impact Player)

Delhi Capitals: KL Rahul, Sahil Parakh, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, T Natarajan (Impact Player)

Team News

Mitchell Starc has recovered from shoulder and elbow injuries sustained earlier. He has received his NOC from Cricket Australia and is cleared to play. Starc is available from May 1 and is expected to replace Chameera or Jamieson.

Lungi Ngidi was seen bowling in the nets at Jaipur recently. However, he remains a serious doubt due to mandatory concussion protocols. ICC guidelines require a 7-day stand-down period following his head injury against PBKS. This likely rules Ngidi out of tonight's match entirely.

DC were bundled out for just 75 runs in their previous game. KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs must provide a much stronger batting start tonight.

RR are coming off a commanding 6-wicket victory against the Punjab Kings. They successfully chased down 222 in that match with authority. The Royals are expected to field an unchanged side tonight.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remains the standout player to watch for RR. Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger will lead the pace attack together. Ravindra Jadeja provides crucial experience and control in the middle overs.

Key Players to Watch

Riyan Parag leads the Rajasthan Royals as captain this IPL 2026 season. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is RR's top run-scorer with 400 runs in 9 matches. The 15-year-old sensation has already scored a breathtaking 37-ball century.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has been equally consistent with 306 runs and 3 fifties.

Ravindra Jadeja was acquired as a mid-season trade addition for RR. He leads the team with a batting average of 66.00 this season. Jadeja also provides essential spin control in the middle overs. Jofra Archer leads the pace attack with 14 wickets in 9 matches.

For Delhi, KL Rahul is DC's cornerstone batter with 358 runs this season. His highest score is an unbeaten 152 against the Punjab Kings.

Tristan Stubbs has been outstanding in the middle order with 201 runs at an average of 50.25.

Mitchell Starc is expected to return and play his first match in the IPL 2026. He'll lead DC's bowling as the primary new-ball and death-over threat.

Kuldeep Yadav has surpassed 100 IPL wickets and remains DC's key spinner. Ashutosh Sharma provides fearless power-hitting finishing in the final overs.

Pitch and Conditions

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium has transformed into a batter's paradise this season. The historical average first-innings score here is 166 runs.

However, recent 2026 matches have seen totals consistently exceeding 220 runs. SRH's 229/5 against RR on 25 April is now the ground record.

The surface is flat with consistent bounce throughout both innings. Pacers can find early movement with the new ball under lights.

Spinners may gain grip as the surface slows in the middle overs. Straight boundaries measure around 75 metres, rewarding calculated power-hitting over slogging.

Dew is expected to arrive significantly during the second innings tonight. This makes it extremely difficult for bowlers in the chase to grip the ball.

Chasing teams have historically won 64% of all matches at this venue. In 65 IPL matches here, 42 have been won batting second.

The weather will be clear and hot throughout the evening. The temperature at 7 PM, when the start is scheduled, will be around 36°C. There is zero chance of rain, guaranteeing a full 40-over contest.

A win here will take the Royals to the top of the table; that's reassuring after 10 matches. The Capitals will keep their hopes alive if they beat RR tonight. Don't miss a ball.