Rajasthan Royals (RR) will host Delhi Capitals (DC) in the ninth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday, March 28. Led by captain Sanju Samson, the Royals started their IPL 2024 campaign in an emphatic fashion as they defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 20 runs at home on Sunday. With two points on the board, RR are placed second on the IPL 2024 standings.

On the other hand, the Rishabh Pant-led Capitals will look to bounce back after suffering a four-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday.

Having yet to open their account, DC are currently languishing ninth on the IPL 2024 standings.

Ahead of another enthralling IPL 2024 clash, we look at the predicted XIs of both sides.

RR Predicted XI

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Flamboyant opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed a quick-fire 12-ball 24 against LSG in their opening fixture. Jaiswal will hope to provide another blitzkrieg start against DC on Thursday.

Jos Buttler

Swashbuckling England batter Jos Buttler is once again expected to open the proceedings for the Royals. Buttler, who was dismissed cheaply against LSG, will aim to score big and provide a perfect start for the inaugural IPL champions.

Sanju Samson (captain/wicketkeeper)

RR captain Sanju Samson played a match-winning knock in their IPL 2024 opener. Batting at number three, Sanju scored an unbeaten 82 off just 52 balls to power RR to 193/4 in their 20 overs. His knock was laced with three fours and six maximums. He will look to continue his scintillating form against DC.

Riyan Parag

Young Riyan Parag was another standout batter for the Royals against LSG. Parag stitched an impressive 93-run stand with skipper Samson for the third wicket. The dashing right-handed batter scored 43 off 29 balls, including one four and three sixes.

Shimron Hetmyer

West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer will retain his place in the Royals’ playing XI despite failing in their opening game. The 27-year-old amassed 300 runs in 14 matches last season at a strike rate of 152.28 while also maintaining an average of 37.50.

Dhruv Jurel

Dhruv Jurel impressed for the Royals against LSG in Jaipur. Batting at number six, Jurel smashed 20 runs off just 12 balls to propel RR to a strong total. He will aim to continue his good form against a star-studded DC bowling line-up.

Ravichandran Ashwin

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was a touch expensive against Lucknow Super Giants. While Ashwin bagged the huge wicket of Marcus Stoinis, he conceded 35 runs in his quota of four overs. However, he will play a key role with a few left-handers in DC’s playing XI.

Sandeep Sharma

Experienced right-arm pacer Sandeep Sharma bowled brilliantly in RR’s opening game. The Patiala-born cricketer picked up the massive wicket of LSG skipper KL Rahul as he finished with figures of 3-0-22-1 on Sunday. He will look to add to his tally against DC.

Avesh Khan

India international Avesh Khan was economical for RR in their IPL 2024 opener. The 27-year-old right-arm fast bowler chipped in with some good overs to finish with figures of 3-0-21-0 on Sunday. He will aim to pick some wickets in their upcoming encounter.

Trent Boult

New Zealand’s star pacer Trent Boult has been RR’s bowling spearhead since 2022. The left-arm fast bowler once again provided early breakthroughs for the Royals as he dismissed LSG’s Quinton de Kock and Devdutt Padikkal in his opening two overs.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal has already bagged 188 IPL wickets in just 146 matches. The right-arm leg-spinner once again began the new season on a good note as he bowled an effective spell against LSG. Chahal got the wicket of Deepak Hooda to finish with figures of 3-0-25-1.

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Nandre Burger/Rovman Powell

DC Predicted XI

David Warner

Australia’s star opening batter David Warner will once again hold the key for DC in the batting department. Warner hammered 29 runs off 21 balls against PBKS in their opening fixture. Interestingly, the southpaw is the all-time leading overseas run-getter, having amassed 6,426 runs in 177 matches.

Mitchell Marsh

For DC, Australia’s T20I captain Mitchell Marsh will open the innings with Warner. In their opening game, Marsh scored a blitzkrieg 12-ball 20 before he fell to Arshdeep Singh. He will look to score big to cement his place in the Capitals’ starting XI.

Shai Hope

West Indies cricketer Shai Hope is expected to retain his place in DC’s starting XI. Batting at number three, Hope scored 33 runs off 25 balls against PBKS. His impressive knock included two fours and as many sixes.

Rishabh Pant (captain/wicketkeeper)

DC captain Rishabh Pant made a quiet comeback to cricket after 453 days. Pant came into bat at number four and scored a 13-ball 18 before he was dismissed by Harshal Patel in the 13th over. In his short stay at the crease, Pant slammed a few scintillating shots. He will look to bat longer against RR on Thursday.

Ricky Bhui

Indian cricketer Ricky Bhui could be given another opportunity after he was dismissed cheaply against PBKS in their IPL 2024 opener. Having faced seven deliveries, Bhui managed just three runs against Punjab in DC’s opening clash. He will be eager to impress if given another chance.

Tristan Stubbs

New recruit Tristan Stubbs was also back in the pavilion for a low score on his DC debut on Saturday. Batting at number six, the South African cricketer could add just five runs off eight balls that he faced. He lost his wicket to PBKS leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. Stubbs will be raring to go against RR in Jaipur.

Axar Patel

Star all-rounder Axar Patel once again contributed with both bat and ball in DC’s opening encounter. Axar came out to bat at No.7 and scored 21 off just 13 balls, laced with two fours and one six to guide his side to a fighting total. He later bowled an economical spell as he finished with figures of 4-0-25-0. Axar will aim to chip in with few scalps against RR.

Sumit Kumar

DC all-rounder Sumit Kumar made his IPL debut against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. While Sumit failed to impress on his debut, he could be given another opportunity against the Royals.

Kuldeep Yadav

Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was the wrecker-in-chief for DC in their IPL 2024 opener. The 29-year-old bagged the wickets of Prabhsimran Singh and wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma to finish with brilliant figures of 4-0-20-2. Kuldeep could trouble the RR batters in Jaipur.

Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed was the other standout bowler for DC in their previous game. Khaleel was given the new ball and he later ended his spell with important scalps. Despite being a touch expensive, the left-arm pacer removed Sam Curran and Shashank Singh to keep DC in the game. He will look to provide early breakthroughs against RR.

Mukesh Kumar

India international Mukesh Kumar is expected to replace injured Ishant Sharma in DC’s starting XI on Thursday. The right-arm pacer scalped seven wickets in 10 matches last season for the Capitals. Despite his high economy, Mukesh has a knack for picking wickets.

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Abishek Porel/Vicky Ostwal