The 43rd match of IPL 2026 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur features a high-stakes clash between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC). On this Friday evening, May 1, 2026, the atmosphere is electric as RR, led by Riyan Parag, look to solidify their position at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Axar Patel’s Delhi Capitals are desperate to snap a three-match losing streak that has seen them slip to seventh in the standings.
After winning the toss, Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag opted to bat first, citing the trend of high-scoring games at this venue. However, the biggest talking point of the evening wasn’t the toss, but the glaring absence of South African powerhouse David Miller from the Delhi Capitals’ starting XI.
Why David Miller is not playing against Delhi Capitals in today’s match?
The exclusion of ‘Killer Miller’ came as a tactical surprise to many, but captain Axar Patel clarified the decision during the toss. The primary reason for David Miller sitting out is a combination of overseas balance and an unfortunate injury to Sahil Parikh.
According to Axar, the team needed to reshuffle their four overseas slots to accommodate the return of pace spearhead Mitchell Starc. With Starc coming back into the XI to provide early breakthroughs—a department where DC has struggled this season, one overseas batter had to make way. The situation was further complicated by an injury to Parikh. To maintain a stable top order, DC brought in Pathum Nissanka as the replacement.
“Starc is playing and unfortunately Chameera isn’t. Sahil Parikh got injured and Pathum is playing in his place,” Axar explained. “That’ll be four overseas players, which means David Miller sits out. Ashutosh Sharma is also there, so these are the three changes.”
The decision highlights DC’s shift in strategy. After being bundled out for a measly 75 in their previous game, the management felt a specialist like Nissanka was needed to anchor the top, while Miller remains available as an Impact Substitute should the chase demand his finishing fireworks.
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Playing XI and impact substitutes of both the teams
Both teams have made strategic calls to adapt to the Jaipur surface, which traditionally offers a balanced contest but has recently favoured batters.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI):
KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (c), Ashutosh Sharma, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan.
Delhi Capitals Impact Subs:
David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Auqib Nabi Dar.
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI):
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs:
Adam Milne, Dasun Shanaka, Ravi Singh, Yash Raj Punja, Tushar Deshpande.
