Delhi Capitals won the toss and chose to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, but the bigger team news came from the two missing spinners. Kuldeep Yadav was once again left out by DC, while Ravindra Jadeja missed the match for RR due to load management.

Both calls matter in a game with heavy playoff consequences: Delhi are fighting to stay mathematically alive, while Rajasthan are trying to move back into the top-four race. Axar Patel said DC were not thinking too much about the pitch after getting conditions wrong in previous games, while Riyan Parag admitted he was unsure what to do at the toss and was happy to lose it.

On a dry-looking surface with 63-metre square boundaries, both teams have made brave calls.

DC vs RR: Why Kuldeep Yadav is not playing in Delhi

Kuldeep Yadav has been left out of Delhi Capitals’ XI because of poor form and team-balance reasons. This is the second straight match he has missed after also being benched against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala.

The left-arm wrist-spinner has had a difficult IPL 2026. In 11 matches, he has taken only seven wickets, and his economy rate has climbed to 10.66.

Before being dropped, he had gone wicketless in three consecutive games, which is a serious concern for a bowler whose main job is to control the middle overs and take wickets.

DC have instead gone with a different bowling structure. Tripurana Vijay makes his debut in place of Auqib Nabi, while Axar Patel, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi and Mukesh Kumar form the main bowling core. Vipraj Nigam is available on the Impact Player bench if Delhi want another spin option later.

So Kuldeep’s absence is not injury-. It is a form-based call from DC as they try to change their combination in a must-win game.

DC vs RR: Why Ravindra Jadeja is not playing

Ravindra Jadeja is not playing for Rajasthan Royals because of load management. RR captain Riyan Parag confirmed at the toss that Jadeja misses out and Ravi Singh comes into the side.

This appears to be a precautionary call rather than an injury panic. Rajasthan have had a stop-start schedule, but with the playoff race tightening, they may be managing Jadeja’s workload carefully before the final stretch. Jadeja’s absence does affect RR’s balance because he gives them three things at once: left-hand batting, fielding brilliance and defensive spin control.

In Jadeja’s place, Ravi Singh makes his debut. RR have also gone in with Jofra Archer, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma and Yash Raj Punja in the bowling group, while Ravi Bishnoi is available from the Impact Player bench.

DC vs RR Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals XI: KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar.

Rajasthan Royals XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Ravi Singh, Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja.

DC vs RR Impact Players

Delhi Impact Players: Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Vipraj Nigam, Pathum Nissanka, Karun Nair.

RR Impact Players: Dasun Shanaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao.

So the simple answer is this: Kuldeep Yadav has been dropped again due to poor form and DC’s tactical reshuffle, while Ravindra Jadeja is being rested for load management, with Ravi Singh replacing him in RR’s XI.