Cricket betting tips: Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Ahead of Tuesday’s Indian Premier League clash between sixth-placed Punjab Kings and fifth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders, there is a lovely symmetry to the table with the top four sides on eight points and the bottom four all on four!

Greater inspection and interrogation of the league reveals that all teams have won at least two games and all sides bar Delhi Capitals have been beaten on at least two occasions. 

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But any smugness by fans of the Capitals will be dampened by their surprise defeat to Mumbai Indians on Sunday which ended the only remaining 100% winning record in the tournament.

It was a weekend of the underdog in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory over Rajasthan Royals, which was the only example of the four games played across Saturday and Sunday won by the favourites.

And if that wasn’t enough to capture the imagination, the weekend seemingly expanded into Monday with Chennai Super Kings, who had been woefully off the pace so far this season recording a surprise win over fourth-placed Lucknow Super Giants.

It all blends nicely ahead of these two midweek fixtures with three of the bottom four, all keen to push into the mid-table positions, in action.

Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals preview

Weekend regrets have normally faded by Wednesday evening, but the players and fans of Delhi Capitals may still be wondering quite how they lost from 135/2, halfway through the 12th over, when chasing 206 to beat a Mumbai Indians side who had lost four of their first five games!

One win-predictor algorithm had Delhi’s chances up at 77.36% with two wickets down.  Considering the Capitals had won their first four games of the tournament, as well as their four previous matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, few were expecting the subsequent surrender.

After two heavy defeats in a row for Rajasthan Royals, they will be relieved not to be facing an all-conquering Delhi side. But something is clearly not working for the franchise as they have now won only two of their last 11 group stage fixtures.

The bowling attack picked up a solitary wicket against RCB on Sunday, that of Phil Salt who had smashed 11 boundaries from his 33 balls at the crease, and it has been an under-performing unit for the bulk of this campaign with six wickets or fewer taken in five of their six games.

FIRST’s top tip for Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals preview

Vipraj Nigam to be Delhi Capitals’ top bowler - 7/1 with Highbet

As IPL debut campaigns go, this has been a very impressive one from Delhi Capitals’ 20 year old leg-spinner who has seven wickets at a strike-rate of 13.7.

Although Nigam has finished as their top bowler in only one of their five games so far, he comes into this clash after taking two wickets in each of their last three matches. 

He clearly has no fear of big name opponents either, after dismissing Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya across Delhi’s last two matches.

Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad preview

Two teams who ended losing streaks with weekend much-needed victories will look to make it back to back wins when Mumbai Indians host Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium.

Mumbai had already been beaten by CSK, Gujarat Titans, LSG and RCB, with only a win over Kolkata Knight Riders before Sunday’s trip to Delhi, so there was plenty of surprise to see Hardik Pandya’s side get the victory over the early pace-setters.

However, what should not have caused any shock was the winning margin in the game as it is now three matches in a row involving Mumbai Indians that have seen the victors triumph by exactly 12 runs!

Sunrisers Hyderabad also made a mockery of the early season placings in the table and banished their four-game losing streak to history with a convincing eight wicket success over Punjab Kings. 

But that win was in front of their home supporters and they have lost their last four away games. Not the type of form they would be looking to bring to Mumbai against a team they have lost to eight times out of the last 11.

FIRST’s top tip for Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Tilak Varma to be Mumbai Indians’ top batter - 4/1 with Highbet

The win over Delhi Capitals saw Tilak Varma make 59 runs from 33 balls to take his 2025 campaign average up to 42.00.

The 22 year old left-hander has now been Mumbai Indians’ leading run scorer in half of their six IPL fixtures this season. He looks like a smart choice again for this game, particularly in comparison to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting line-up which has had a different top batter in all six of their matches!

Extra Tips

Karn Sharma to be top bowler (Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad) - 12/1 with Highbet

The experienced spinner was parachuted into Mumbai’s win over Delhi as the impact player and certainly lived up to his name in his first appearance of the campaign.

He dismissed the well-set Abishek Porel, the expert finisher Tristan Stubbs and the in-form KL Rahul on his way to the Player of the Match Award.

Considering the two best IPL bowling performances at the Wankhede Stadium have come from spinners, and Karn ended the 2022 campaign with a strike-rate of 12.9, he could well be the most dangerous player with the ball on Thursday.

Delhi Capitals 1st over - Wicket - Yes (Delhi Capitals vs Rajasthan Royals) - 29/10 with Highbet

Rajasthan Royals may have had their struggles with the ball in the 2025 IPL, but Delhi Capitals continue to persist with Jake Fraser-McGurk at the top of their order.

The Australian is an explosive batter on his day, but has been dismissed inside the first over in four of his last six IPL innings!

Odds correct at the time of writing.