🏏IPL 2026: DC vs RR , 62nd Match, at Delhi on 17/05/2026🏏

🏏IPL 2026: DC vs RR , 62nd Match, at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on 17/05/2026 at 7:30PM IST🏏

Parag's fitness in focus as RR look to regain lost ground against DC

DC's playoff chances hang by a thread and if they lose on Sunday, they will be out of the race

RR eye crucial points

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have played only two matches in more than two weeks. Given that, and the fact that they lost both times, they are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to playoffs places. Sunday could change all that. If Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings and RR follow that up by beating Delhi Capitals (DC), they will be back in the top four.

The upside of having so much time off is a chance to regroup. Riyan Parag is back batting in the nets after a hamstring niggle ruled him out of RR's last game. He nearly doubled his season tally, making 90 off 50 against DC on May 1 and should be looking forward to facing them again in Delhi's excellent batting conditions.

DC's hopes of making the playoffs appear very slim after going through a strange sort of season - scoring their highest IPL score ever only to lose the game, possessing a bowling attack with great variety but often coming undone when it mattered most. Middle-order issues, the initial injury and unavailability of Mitchell Starc and the poor form of Kuldeep Yadav have all combined to overshadow the gains they've made. If Axar Patel's men lose on Sunday, they will be out of the playoffs race.

Teams Watch

Delhi Capitals

Injuries & Availability: There are no reported injuries or availability concerns in the home team's camp.

Tactics & Matchups: After finally finding some crucial middle-order runs, Axar Patel would be rearing to contribute more with the bat. His battle against Ravindra Jadeja - having scored 81 runs in 43 balls off the spinner at an impressive strike-rate of 188.37 - makes it an interesting middle-overs battle to watch-out for. Miller, too, strikes at 171.08 against the Indian spinner.

Probable XII: KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Madhav Tiwari, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi Dar, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi

Rajasthan Royals

Injuries & Availability: Riyan Parag is fit to lead again after last playing against the same side on May 1.

Tactics & Matchups: Jofra Archer, even though on a bit of a decline, has always been key in the Powerplay for RR with the ball, and against KL Rahul he holds the edge. Rahul strikes at nearly 140 against the English pacer, but has lost his wicket to him thrice, setting up an intriguing battle upfront.

Probable XII: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Brijesh Sharma

When: Sunday, May 17 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

What to expect: It's the centre wicket of an already small ground, but Delhi have been unpredictable here. It's the same track where they nearly chased down 210 and, one game later, crashed to 75 all out.

Head to Head: It's been a neck-to-neck fight at 16-15 in Delhi's favour. In Delhi, though, the hosts have a comfortable 7-3 lead.

Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi: Pitch Report

A good chunk of games played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, in this year of the league have seen low-scoring thrillers take centre stage. The pitches here have been among the trickiest to bat on, and bowlers have enjoyed their time delivering at this venue. Historically known for boasting spin-friendly tracks, the Kotla surface is expected to offer decent bounce and carry for the pace bowlers as well, making the upcoming contest an even battle between bat and ball.

DC vs RR: Head-to-Head T20 Record

Matches Played 31
Won by DC 16
Won by RR 20
Tie/NR 0
First-ever fixtureApril 19, 2008 (DC Won)
Most recent fixtureMay 1, 2026 (DC Won)

DC vs RR: Probable Best Performers of the Match

Probable Best Batter: KL Rahul

KL Rahul has looked at his usual best in this season of the league as well, showing remarkable consistency over the years. With 477 runs from 12 matches already, Rahul has shown that he is in great form in 2026 as well. Earlier in the tournament, he also broke the record for the highest individual score by an Indian in the league, which hints at how dangerous the Mangalore-born can be on his day.

Probable Best Bowler: Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer. (Source:IPL )

Ace speedster Jofra Archer has been the Rajasthan-based franchise's go-to weapon this season with an impeccable accuracy and stemming the flow of runs regularly. Archer has also been taking a lot of wickets (15 in 11 outings) in the season, not to mention his economy rate of 9.12, which can be considered frugal given the kind of high-scoring thrillers that have been witnessed. He can rip apart Delhi's batting unit tonight.

Today's Match Prediction: Team batting first to win the match

Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals

DC

First To Bat

Powerplay: 50-60

180-190

RR First To Bat

Powerplay: 65-75

210-220

Win Probability

DC 50%

RR 50%

Disclaimer

The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

In the spotlight: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tristan Stubbs

Yashasvi Jaiswal has tapered off as the tournament has gone on. In his first four innings, he made 183 runs at an average of 91.50. In his last seven innings, he's made 132 runs at an average of 18.90. Jaiswal and Starc have history from the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy and there seems to be no love lost. When they faced each other in the reverse fixture earlier this month, Jaiswal hit a first-ball six but Starc got rid of him before the over was out.

Tristan Stubbs has been one of the slowest starters this season with a strike rate of 111 in his first ten balls. The idea behind batting like this is to get a feel for the conditions and then kick on. But Stubbs' strike rate, even after getting set is not great - 140 after crossing the 20-ball mark. He is better than these numbers suggest.

Stats and trivia: Watch out for Archer vs Miller

• Sooryavanshi has hit the most sixes in the powerplay this season (30) and overall as well (40). Over 50% of his total runs - 440 - are the result of the ease with which he can clear a cricket ground. And Delhi is a small cricket ground.
• DC are a dangerous batting team in the death overs. They've scored their runs at a rate of 11.4 per over, which is the second-best in the league. David Miller (strike rate 230) and Ashutosh Sharma (strike rate 219) are key to this.
• RR do have a way to mitigate this situation with Jofra Archer, who has an excellent record against Miller in all T20 cricket: two dismissals in five innings for 19 runs at a strike rate of 90.
• A measure of how dangerous Donovan Ferreira can be at the death is that he's been out there in overs 17 to 20 only three times. But that's already enough for him to be the league's highest back-end six-hitter (11) with a balls-per-six ratio of 2.63.
• Four of Mukesh Kumar's six wickets so far have been of left-hand batters at an average of 24.25 and an economy rate of 9.09. DC will likely pair him up against Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi up top. Mukesh against right-hand batters this IPL: average of 108 and economy rate of 11.78.