The first double-header of the restarted Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will see Rajasthan Royals take on Punjab Kings in the afternoon clash, while Delhi Capitals host Gujarat Titans with three of the teams fighting for playoff spots.
Rajasthan Royals are out of the fray but can spoil the chances of their opponents. Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans, and Delhi Capitals will be hoping to rebuild the momentum they had gained before the IPL 2025 was halted because of the violent clashes between India and Pakistan.
In the first match of the day, the Shreyas Iyer-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be looking to solidify their playoff chances against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Punjab Kings are third in the points table with 15 points from seven wins, three defeats, and one no result. They are riding the momentum before the break with wins over Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.
However, PBKS will be aiming to restart the momentum that has made them contenders for a possible top-two finish.
Their fast bowling coach, James Hopes, expressed confidence in the team's readiness and discussed their strategy for the crucial encounter and said claiming that the break will not prevent them from gaining back the momentum.
I think there was some concern about how the team was going to come back together. But the way we have trained the last few days, it feels like we did not miss a beat. And if anything, the guys came back a little bit fresher from being able to spend a couple of days at home.
When asked if the team will bring any change in their strategy now, he added, “I think we will go in with a pretty similar structure. Even if there are some different players in those roles, the way we are going to play is going to be very similar… It was an unexpected break, but we are trying to look at the flip side of it.”
Prabhsimran Singh, PBKS’ current top run-scorer, has struck four consecutive half-centuries, while Priyansh Arya has been the perfect foil for him with his aggressive stroke-play.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer has been astute in leadership and sparkling with the bat, while left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has been a standout performer yet again by picking 16 wickets, making him the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the competition. Though Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis are unavailable for this game, PBKS still have enough arsenal in them to cover up for their absence.
Sunday's match will be the last home match for the Rajasthan Royals. They have nothing to lose and will be playing for their pride. Nothing has gone right for the former IPL winner, and they will be hoping to end their home run on a positive note despite missing Jofra Archer, while the status of skipper Sanju Samson is still unclear.
Both teams will have to make some changes in their teams, making provisions for some overseas players who have not returned after the break for various reasons. In the head-to-head record, RR hold a narrow 17-12 edge over PBKS, including one game ending in a tie.
Probable playing XIs: Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (capt, wk), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka.
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Mitch Owen, Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Delhi Capitals Ready To Go All Out
It will be a crucial encounter for Delhi Capitals as they will be hoping to overcome their poor runs before the break. After a superb start to the season, DC had lost the momentum, midway through the campaign, losing two consecutive matches while their clash with SRH at Hyderabad was washed out by rain.
A winning start after the brief hiatus will help them remain in the hunt for the playoff spot with two more matches to go. Speaking on the eve of their first match after the IPL resumption, Delhi Capitals' all-rounder Vipraj Nigam said, "We are taking it as a fresh start. Our focus is on how we began our campaign from the first game, and we will try to continue that momentum."
DC will be missing pace bowler Mitchell Starc, who has decided not to rejoin the squad after the break, though Faf du Plessis and Tristan Stubbs have returned after a small break.
We have a few replacements. It is tough to replace Mitchell Starc, but we have regrouped as a team. We don’t want to dwell on the absence of players who are not here, but we will try to give our best with the players available.
Delhi Capitals are currently in fifth position with 13 points in 11 matches, while Gujarat Titans are in second position with 16 points from 11 matches.
Gujarat Titans need to win the match to assure their place in the playoffs. They have been in great form so far with their top three of skipper Shubman Gill (508), Sai Sudharsan (509), and Jos Buttler (500) going great guns. Their middle-order has not done much except for Sherfane Rutherford (229).
We are in a situation right now where obviously we would have liked to play games, as we had momentum. But the situation was such that you can't do anything about it.
“You have to just accept it and move on from there. We obviously went back, and a lot of our players didn't go back. We were training back in Ahmedabad. So, we feel that these are the things which are not in your control, and you don't want to think about them.”
At the moment, we are playing good cricket and we want to carry on with that. We all have to accept it and find a way out of it.
But with Buttler set to leave in a few days for the white-ball series between England and West Indies, GT are likely to land into trouble if the top two get out early.
Patel said GT will look to fill the gap caused by Buttler’s absence when the playoffs stage comes. “See, now we know that he won't be there for the play-offs. Everyone knows about it. So, for us, right now, the important part is that he is there for the last three games, and then we will see how the team balance is coming up, and what team combination we want to go in with.”
“But see, someone like Buttler has been a great performer for us. He has kept well and is like a leader of the group. But after that, we will see if that situation comes in. But as of now, he is there for three games,” said Patel.
GT also hold an edge over DC because of their superb bowling unit in which pacers Prasidh Krishna (20 wkts) and Mohd Siraj (15) have led the way. Spinner Sai Kishore, too, has done well, while their top spinner Rashid Khan had shown a welcome return to form in their last match.
There is nothing much to separate the two teams in head-to-head as they have won three matches each in six games. But on recent form, Gujarat Titans have an edge as they have won four of their last five matches. DC have lost three, won one, while one match ended in a no result.
Probable playing XIs: Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Abhishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mukesh Kumar
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (capt), B. Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, R Sai Kishore.
