IPL 2026 | Match 62: Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals | Preview and Predictions

Match 62 of the 2026 Indian Premier League season brings us a crucial encounter between two franchises trying desperately to hang onto their playoff aspirations as Delhi Capitals welcome Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.  

Indian Premier League 2026 | 62: Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals | 19:30 IST, 17th May

Since Rajasthan Royals last hosted Delhi Capitals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Match 43, Axar Patel’s side have registered two back-to-back demoralising defeats before returning to winning ways with a gutsy win at Dharamsala against Punjab Kings in their last fixture. 

Despite another solid outing at the auction table, DC haven’t been able to address their batting woes from last season. The likes of KL Rahul, Pathum Nissanka, Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs have been the biggest aggregators, however, they too have been far too inconsistency for anybody’s liking. 

Although bringing in the likes of Abishek Porel and Saahil Parikh did little in terms of providing stability at the top – with the DC top order yet again failing against PBKS. However, some rearguard action from the middle and lower order batters ensured they eventually got over the line with an over to spare. 

In the bowling attack, given their spinners’ dismal showing so far this campaign, it won’t be a suprise if they once field at pace-heavy attack against RR. 

As for their opponents, Rajasthan Royals, these large breaks – especially since the turn of the month haven’t helped their cause one bit. Riyan Parag’s men have played just two games in 20 days, prior to this contest. 

As a result, while they ended the first half of the season in high spirits with five wins in seven. The second half has yielded just one win in four so far. Besides, this lean patch could also be put down to the recent drop in form from both their top order batters as well as their bowling department – with contribution from the middle order already a concern. 

Apart from the top three of Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel, none of the batters have made a sizeable contribution this season – barring maybe Donnovan Ferreira. The form of both Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag has been a constant pain in the neck for the RR management. While Ravindra Jadeja seems to be missing the firepower he once possessed during his haydays in yellow. 

That said, the bigger concern for RR will be the sudden drop in performance from their bowling attack. The searing pace and threat of Jofra Archer and Nangre Burger with the new ball has evaporated in recent weeks while spin leader Ravi Bishnoi has also lost his edge – picking up just the two wickets in his last five outings. 

In terms of weather forecast and pitch report, conditions are expected to be hot and humid in Delhi on Sunday. The wickets here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season have been quite difficult to assess; with some assisting bowlers while other games saw carnage with teams easily crossing 200 without even breaking a sweat. Thus, reading the pitch and making the right decision at toss time becomes crucial here. 

Looking ahead to this crucial fixture in the top-4 race, both teams are in desperate need of a victory. Although coming into this fixture with a win behind them, given how inconsistent they have been this season – especially with the bat – one cannot say with confidence which version of DC will turn up on that given day. RR on the other hand have lost crucial momentum at the business end of the season. While the batting should take care of itself, it is the bowling department that needs to step up in these final few league phase fixtures. Thus, considering both current form and how they match-up against each other, we’re backing Rajasthan Royals as slight favourites for this one. 

Fantasy XI: Vaibhav Suryavanshi (c), KL Rahul (vc), Dhruv Jurel, Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, David Miller, Donnovan Ferreira, Axar Patel, Jofra Archer, Mitchell Starc, Brijesh Sharma 

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Winners Prediction: Rajasthan Royals