Why did Sandeep Sharma miss RR vs DC clash of IPL 2026?
(Courtesy : BCCI/IPL)
Sandeep Sharma has played five games for RR in IPL 2026.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are taking on each other in match 43 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, which got underway at Sawai ManSingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday, May 1.
Under captain Riyan Parag, the RR have given a brilliant performance in IPL 2026 so far. They have won six games and lost three out of nine encounters. With 12 points, the Royals grab fourth place in the points table.
With three victories and five defeats, Delhi Capitals languish at the seventh spot in the points table with six points. They have won three games and lost five out of eight so far.
In the 43rd match of IPL 2026, RR captain Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to bat first. At the toss, he informed that they have made two changes to their playing XI. Shubham Dubey and Ravi Bishnoi were added to the playing XI. Notably, pacer Sandeep Sharma was not part of the RR’s XI once again.
Why is Sandeep Sharma not playing RR vs DC clash of IPL 2026?
Notably, Sharma has been overlooked for the clash against the Delhi Capitals once again. He last featured in the encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 13, where he went too expensive by leaking 52 runs off his spell.
He has played five games and clinched five wickets at an economy of 10.86 in IPL 2026 so far. In the clash against DC, Rajasthan have Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma as their frontline pacers. They have been retained in the last few games.
At the start, Sandeep Sharma was expected to be RR’s lead bowling attack. He was retained as an uncapped player ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.
Revealing the changes in the playing XI, Parag said, “Hopefully we can narrow it down as the tournament reaches the business end. Another show today and we can rest for a few days. Bishnoi comes back in and Shubham is into the main team”.
On his decision to bat first, he said, “We’re going to bat first. I think it’s not the usual Jaipur wicket. It’s a bit dry; we noticed that yesterday and the pitch played a little faster on the other day. So hopefully it gets a little slow in the back end, so that’s why we’re batting first”.
Why is Sandeep Sharma not part of RR vs DC clash?
Sandeep has been overlooked for the encounter once again.
How many games has Sandeep played in IPL 2026?
He has played five games in the tournament so far.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.