Much of the work had been done by K.L. Rahul and Pathum Nissanka with their century stand for the opening wicket, but Delhi Capitals still needed somebody to finish the job, in its desperate bid to end a losing streak and to keep itself in contention in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

Ashutosh Sharma put his hand up. His unbeaten 25 off 15 balls, and his unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 49 with Tristan Stubbs, helped Capitals score a seven-wicket victory against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Friday (May 1, 2026) night.

About 300 kms separate Delhi and Jaipur. The difference in quality of the cricket played by the franchises from the two northern Indian cities has been greater this IPL season.

While Rajasthan Royals is well placed to claim a berth in the playoffs, Delhi Capitals is lying in the bottom half. And after that nightmare of a match at home against Royal Challengers Bengaluru earlier this week, Axar Patel’s men have to come up with a much better effort against Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Friday (May 1, 2026).