Delhi Capitals may not have had the best of starts but they are keen to make amends after their loss to Punjab Kings in the opening match. The Rishabh Pant-led side take on Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Thursday.

The Capitals’ director of cricket Sourav Ganguly said pacers Anrich Nortje and Ishant Sharma have regained full fitness, thus bolstering their bowling attack.

“It’s just the early part of the tournament. We worked hard before the season, and hopefully, we will play well. The first game in Chandigarh didn’t go our way because we lost Ishant, but that’s the way it is in T20s. It’s a new game tomorrow (Thursday),” he said in a release.

“We are full strength now, with Nortje back in the side. With Nortje, Khaleel (Ahmed), Mukesh (Kumar) and Ishant back in the team and fit, and with the two spinners Axar (Patel) and Kuldeep (Yadav), our bowling is definitely our strength.

“With Rishabh back as well, the batting has got stronger than what it was last year because in IPL if you lose a major Indian player, it becomes a big hole to fill.”

While Nortje missed their opener failing to recover from a back injury, Ishant just bowled two overs before limping off with a twisted ankle.

The Royals started their campaign with a 20-run win over Lucknow Super Giants courtesy a superb unbeaten 82 by captain Sanju Samson.

Riyan Parag also contributed a useful 43 off 29 ball at No.4. Royals have a strong pace and spin attack to back their batting and how the Capitals respond to the challenge will decide the outcome.