Despite a narrow defeat against the Mumbai Indians in our last game, the Delhi Capitals remain optimistic and determined as we head into our next challenge – a Northern Derby showdown with the Rajasthan Royals in Delhi on Wednesday, 16 April.
Karun Nair, making his IPL comeback after three years, chipped in with a sensational 89 off 40 balls, which turned out to be one of the biggest talking points of the match. Partnering with Abishek Porel, Karun Nair showcased a commanding performance against the Mumbai Indians bowlers and came remarkably close to guiding us to victory.
We also had some terrific bowling performances from Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav. While the IPL often sees batters dominate the spotlight with high scores, Kuldeep Yadav has consistently stood out with his exceptional bowling performances.
His economy rate of under six reflects remarkable control and efficiency, and with 10 wickets to his name, he currently leads the tally for the Delhi Capitals this season.
Vipraj Nigam, meanwhile, has been an early breakthrough specialist in this edition. He picked up a wicket in his first over in three of our five matches, while also inflicting two crucial run outs against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
KL Rahul is continuing his purple patch, having already won two Player of the Match awards in four matches. After starring in Chennai and Bengaluru, Rahul will be eying another big score against the Royals, with whom he already has a terrific record. In IPL history, Rahul has scored the second most runs (713 runs) against RR, only behind Virat Kohli (826 runs).
In different matches, various heroes have risen to the occasion, which remains to be the biggest positive for us in this tournament. With four wins in five matches, we currently occupy second place in the standings and have the opportunity to move to the top spot with a win in Delhi.
As for our opponents, their season has had a somewhat inconsistent start, with two wins in six matches. However, with several match-winners in their lineup, including Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, and others, they remain a formidable side to reckon with.
Delhi Capitals' full squad for TATA IPL 2025:
- Axar Patel (Captain)
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Tristan Stubbs
- Abishek Porel
- Mitchell Starc
- KL Rahul
- Jake Fraser-McGurk
- T Natarajan
- Karun Nair
- Sameer Rizvi
- Ashutosh Sharma
- Mohit Sharma
- Faf du Plessis
- Mukesh Kumar
- Darshan Nalkande
- Vipraj Nigam
- Dushmantha Chameera
- Donovan Ferreira
- Ajay Mandal
- Manvanth Kumar
- Tripurana Vijay
- Madhav Tiwari
