Delhi Capitals (DC) will be boosted by Mitchell Starc’s availability when they take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 43rd match of IPL 2026 at the Sawai ManSingh Stadium on Friday (May 1). Starc hasn’t played an IPL fixture yet. The Australia pacer had a late arrival in India and he wasn’t cleared to play until May 1 as he was receoveirng from a shoulder injury. Starc is now fully fit and he will lead DC’s pace attack against RR. The left-arm pacer joined DC for Rs 11.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega-auction.
Starc made his debut for DC in IPL 2025 and scalped 14 wickets in 11 matches. He has already missed 8 games for DC so far. The veteran pacer hasn’t played a fixture since January 5th, 2026.
Pat Cummins, Starc’s Australia teammate, also had a late arrival in IPL. He landed in India before the start of the tournament but returned home for his back scans. Captain Cummins has only played two matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad so far.
Lungi Ngidi starts bowling
Meanwhile, DC pacer Lungi Ngidi has started bowling. DC shared a video of the right-arm pacer bowling on the eve of the game against RR. Ngidi landed in his head while taking a catch against Punjab Kings on April 25. He was discharged before their next game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Since he now seems to be fit, Ngidi could make his return to the final XI. He has taken 7 wickets in as many matches. He has bowled with an economy rate of 8.70.
Delhi Capitals reeling in seventh position
Delhi Capitals are reeling in the seventh spot in the IPL 2026 points table. They have 3 wins and 5 defeats in 8 matches. DC have 6 points at an NRR of -1.060.
A team needs to have at least 16 points to qualify for the playoffs. DC will finish with 18 points if they win their next six matches. A total of 16 points will also take DC to the second round.
Never has a team with 14 points made it to the playoffs since IPL’s expansion to a 10-team event in 2022. Hence, DC cannot afford to lose more than one game in the season.
RR, meanwhile, have 12 points. They have won 6 games and suffered 3 defeats in 9 matches. RR have an NRR of +0.617. A win over DC will see RR move to the top spot in the IPL 2026 points table. A defeat won’t have any impact on their place in the table.
Will Riyan Parag play after vaping controversy?
Yes, RR captain Riyan Parag will continue to play despite the vaping controversy. The BCCI on Thursday (April 30) fined Parag 25 percent of his match fee for his actions. However, he hasn’t been banned and Parag is set to lead the home team against DC.
“Riyan Parag, Captain, Rajasthan Royals, has been fined 25% of his match fee and has also accumulated one Demerit Point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials during Match No. 40 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Punjab Kings,” the BCCI said in a statement.
