Delhi Capitals head to Jaipur on Friday in desperate need of a result and, for the first time this season, they may finally have the bowling attack to get one.

Three consecutive defeats, including a humiliating 75 all out against RCB in their most recent outing, have left them seventh in the table with six points from eight matches, and the playoffs are starting to feel like a conversation that requires urgency rather than patience. The good news, arriving at the best possible moment, is that both Mitchell Starc and Lungi Ngidi are expected to be available for selection against Rajasthan Royals on Friday night.

RR vs DC: The Mitchell Starc situation and why it has taken this long

Mitchell Starc joined the Delhi camp a few days before the Punjab Kings match on April 25 but was unavailable for selection in the two games that followed, the PBKS defeat and the RCB humiliation. He has been bowling in the DC nets and is now ready to play, as ESPNcricinfo confirmed ahead of the Jaipur fixture. The wait has been painful.

DC have picked up just seven Powerplay wickets all season, the joint-fewest in the competition alongside KKR, and have struggled to create any early impact with the new ball throughout the campaign. Rajasthan Royals, for comparison, have taken 21 Powerplay wickets. Jofra Archer alone has nine. The gap is not a marginal one and Starc's arrival is the most significant single change Delhi can make to address it.

RR vs DC: The Lungi Ngidi return for Delhi Capitals

Ngidi's recovery from the head injury he sustained attempting to take Priyansh Arya's catch against Punjab Kings on April 25 has been swift and the footage of him bowling in the DC nets, teammates Kyle Jamieson and David Miller audibly celebrating his return has provided the franchise with a much-needed lift ahead of a must-win fixture.

He missed the RCB match and was absent when DC were bowled out for 75. His return, combined with Starc's debut, gives Axar Patel a pace attack that looks significantly different from the one that has been leaking runs and wickets all season.

Also READ: RR vs DC match prediction: Who will win Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 match 43?

RR vs DC: What Delhi Capitals' best XI looks like on Friday

With Starc and Ngidi both expected to feature, DC's overseas slots are taken by the two pace bowlers alongside David Miller and Tristan Stubbs in the batting.

That combination gives Axar a balanced side, KL Rahul and Sahil Parakh opening, Nitish Rana and Sameer Rizvi in the middle, Axar himself as the all-round spine, Miller and Stubbs as the finishing pair, and a bowling attack of Starc, Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar and Axar that finally looks capable of taking wickets across all phases.

T Natarajan or Ashutosh Sharma as Impact Player options give Axar flexibility depending on match situation.

DC Predicted XI: KL Rahul (wk), Sahil Parakh, Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar. Impact Player: T Natarajan or Ashutosh Sharma.