As Delhi Capitals prepare to take on Rajasthan Royals in their home fixture at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, all eyes will be on the pitch — which has historically favored teams batting first and offered high-scoring contests.
Pitch Overview
The pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium is typically flat and batter-friendly. With short boundaries and a quick outfield, this venue has produced several high-scoring thrillers. In recent matches, teams have regularly crossed the 200-run mark when setting targets. In fact, the previous game at this ground saw Mumbai Indians post 205, which Delhi Capitals failed to chase.
Spin to Play a Role
While pacers might find it hard to extract bounce or swing on this surface, spinners could come into play as the pitch tends to slow down slightly during the second half of the match. Expect bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Maheesh Theekshana to be crucial during the middle overs.
Toss Strategy & Dew Factor
Although the dew factor might make chasing easier later in the evening, recent trends suggest that teams batting first have had more success. Captains winning the toss may still prefer to put runs on the board rather than chase.
Probable Playing XIs
Delhi Capitals: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C & wk), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande.
A run-feast is on the cards, but spinners may have the final say in the outcome.
