DC vs RR Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2025 match?
A place at the top of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) points table will be on the line for the Delhi Capitals (DC) when they host the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, April 16. With four points from five matches, Axar Patel and Co. are comfortably placed in second, behind the Gujarat Titans (GT) on net run rate.
However, the Capitals are on the back of a disappointing defeat to the Mumbai Indians (MI) where they squandered a winning position multiple times in a straightforward chase. Axar stressed the need to not worry about the defeat too much, but the hosts will know the importance of not only sustaining momentum but also stringing together a series of wins at home.
Meanwhile, the Royals have lost any impetus they gained by winning two matches on the trot as they've dropped four points since then. Placed in the bottom three in the IPL 2025 standings, RR desperately need to arrest their slump and start playing their best cricket.
DC's squad for IPL 2025: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tristan Stubbs, Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Donovan Ferreira, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera.
RR's squad for IPL 2025: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Singh Rathore, Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma.
IPL 2025: Can DC return to winning ways against struggling RR?
DC's wrist-spin duo of Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav have been imperative to their success in IPL 2025. Although captain Axar Patel hasn't been at his best with the ball, the two leggies have provided regular breakthroughs and given the team all-phase prowess.
In the previous game played in Delhi, there was a decent amount of turn on offer as Vipraj and Kuldeep spun a web around MI. If the same pattern persists, RR could be in trouble.
Wanindu Hasaranga has been woefully inconsistent, while Maheesh Theekshana isn't a big turner of the ball even on friendly surfaces. Without a third spin option and with a middle order that isn't known for its spin-hitting pedigree, Sanju Samson and Co. might not be able to play a brand of cricket that the venue demands.
RR are a quality outfit, and counting them out isn't a good idea. But as things currently stand, DC seem better suited to come out on top on Wednesday even though they're likely to be without Faf du Plessis.
Prediction: DC to win Match 32 of IPL 2025.