Summary of this article
Delhi Capitals face Rajasthan Royals on Friday, 1 May in Jaipur at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in IPL 2026, with multiple changes made to their XI
David Miller was left out due to a tactical reshuffle triggered by Sahil Parakh’s injury and overseas combination constraints.
Mitchell Starc returns for Delhi Capitals after a month-long absence, replacing Dushmantha Chameera and strengthening the pace attack alongside Kyle Jamieson
Delhi Capitals made several changes to their playing XI against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2026 clash in Jaipur on Friday, 1 May at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, with David Miller missing out as part of a tactical reshuffle triggered by an injury and overseas combination constraints.
After winning the toss, skipper Axar Patel confirmed that young opener Sahil Parakh was ruled out due to a neck spasm, forcing Delhi Capitals to reshuffle their batting order.
Pathum Nissanka was moved up to open, but the change in structure forced DC to revisit their overseas combination, resulting in Miller, listed among the impact substitute options, missing out from the playing XI due to the four-foreign-player restriction.
The biggest highlight of the changes was the return of Mitchell Starc for Delhi Capitals, as the Australian pacer finally came back into the XI after missing nearly a month of action.
He replaced Dushmantha Chameera and is expected to lead the pace attack alongside Kyle Jamieson.
With Starc back in the mix, Delhi will be hoping their new-ball combination can deliver early breakthroughs and bring more control in the powerplay, an area where they have lacked consistency this season.
At the toss, Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel confirmed Mitchell Starc is playing. He said, “Starc is playing and unfortunately Chameera isn’t playing. Sahil Parikh got injured and Pathum is playing in his place. That’ll be four overseas players, which means David Miller sits out. Ashok Sharma is there, so there are the three changes.”
He added, “The wicket looks good and we’re happy to chase. It’s important to return to basics. You need to stay in the present to turn things around, focus on the positives. Attitude and body language are very important.”
Against a Rajasthan Royals attack featuring Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, and Ravi Bishnoi, Delhi’s reshuffled batting unit will be tested under pressure, especially if early wickets fall and the middle order is exposed early.
RR Vs DC, IPL 2026: Toss Update And Playing XIs
Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and have opted to bat.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma
RR Vs DC, IPL 2026: Impact Subs
Delhi Capitals Impact subs: David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Auqib Nabi Dar
Rajasthan Royals Impact subs: Adam Milne, Dasun Shanaka, Ravi Singh, Yash Raj Punja, Tushar Deshpande
