Published on: Mar 24, 2026 1:57 pm IST|Updated on: Mar 24, 2026 1:57 pm IST
Delhi Capitals remain one of the three teams in IPL history that have never laid their hands on the silverware. Season after season, the team would enter the world’s biggest franchise league with a lot of promise, but somehow they would find themselves on the wrong side of the line. Last season was no different for DC as they failed to make it to the playoffs despite winning their first 4 games on the bounce.
Heading into the Tata IPL 2026, the team looks solid yet again. With experienced personnel like Axar Patel, Mitchell Starc, David Miller, Kuldeep Yadav, and one of the IPL’s greats, KL Rahul, forming the core, the team looks as good as any other team on paper this season. But can they get their hands on the trophy that has eluded them for 18 long years? Well, that remains a serious question that hasn’t been answered for all these years. Delhi Capitals are among the two teams, like their neighbors Punjab Kings, that have featured in every IPL season and haven’t had the privilege to lift the trophy. This year, they’ll be desperate to break the jinx and open the floodgates. Can they finally be IPL champions in IPL 2026? We’ll get to know that in the next two and a half months, but for now, let’s take a look at how the team will shape up for the tournament.
Last Season’s Finish: Fifth
The Delhi Capitals skipper, Axar Patel, has already announced that senior batter KL Rahul will be opening the innings this season for the franchise. Last season, KL started at 4 but was slotted back to the opening position as the tournament went deep. In a fresh season, Rahul will be back at his preferred position, and fans can expect him to play the way he does.
The Capitals have multiple options to open the innings alongside Rahul. Prithvi Shaw, Pathum Nissanka, Ben Duckett, and Abhishek Porel are among the names who could form a potent duo at the top along with Rahul. We have picked the Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka, who has had an impressive show in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026. The Capitals should back Nissanka over his recent form as he can do a lot of damage on a batting paradise at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Batting at no 3 would be either Nitish Rana or Prithvi Shaw. Rana has been traded in from the Rajasthan Royals, and he is a local lad here. Prithvi is not someone new to the Delhi franchise, as the lad is making a return to the IPL after missing the last two seasons. Prithvi knows the Capitals better than anyone, having played all his IPL cricket for the same franchise. If not opening the innings, Prithvi won’t be a bad pick to be utilized as an effective enforcer at no. 3.
Walking at no. 4 will be the skipper Axar Patel. One thing that makes Axar Patel effective in the middle order is the ability he possesses to play both the waiting game and be the aggressor. Axar Patel will provide the much-needed balance to DC in the middle order.
Tristan Stubbs will be batting at no. 5 for DC. Well, nos. 4, 5, and 6 are often shuffled, and we may witness DC shuffling their batting order according to the situation. Stubbs has played as a finisher all these years for DC; however, with other finishers available in the squad now, Stubbs can look to build the innings in the middle order and take charge whenever it’s required.
DC escaped with David Miller at the IPL 2026 auctions, bagging him for his base price, i.e., INR 2 crores. Miller has a reputation for winning matches on his own. He has done it for numerous years for South Africa and has done the same in the IPL as well, playing for various franchises. With him being a designated finisher at no. 6, DC has surely got someone who can give them the late burst.
Along with Miller, DC’s finisher from the last season, Ashutosh Sharma, will take charge. Last season it was the combination of Ashutosh and Stubbs who finished games for their sides, and this year it should be the duo of Miller and Stubbs.
DC’s pace bowling unit was supposed to be led by Australian veteran Mitchell Starc. However, Cricket Australia is monitoring his workload, which means Starc would join the DC camp a bit late. With no specific date finalized for Starc’s return, Lungi Ngidi will take charge for DC at least for the starting few games this season. The senior pacer will be accompanied by Jammu & Kashmir’s hurricane and IPL debutant Auqib Nabi Dar.
We all know what Lungi Ngidi brings to the table. The Proteas pacer has evolved in recent times with his deceiving slow ones. Ngidi has used his slower ones as a potent weapon in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026 by claiming wickets even on the flattest of surfaces. Ngidi’s will play a major role for DC in this IPL season.
Auqib Nabi Dar made headlines during the IPL 2026 auctions when he was bought by the franchise for a whopping sum of ₹8.40 crore. Nabi is a proper new-ball bowler who will take the new ball for DC this season. He can generate skids from any surface, making him a lethal weapon with the new ball. He is a handy batter too having scored a century in this domestic red ball season. Having claimed 100 wickets across the last two Ranji seasons, Auqib has done all the right things to get an IPL contract, and it’s time for him to announce himself this season.
The spin department will be led by Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm Chinaman’s guile will be an important weapon for DC. Being Team India’s current leading spinner, Kuldeep Yadav will be the premier spinner in the side who will start in almost every game DC plays.
Partnering with Kuldeep would be the leggy Vipraj Nigam and skipper Axar Patel. Vipraj impressed one and all last season with both bat and ball. He offers right-arm leg spin, which is one of the most vital bowling techniques in modern-day T20 cricket. Every team wants a leggy in their lineup, and Vipraj is the leggy DC have with them.
Axar Patel, the skipper of DC, will be bowling his left-arm spin at any stage of the game. The all-rounder is known to bowl in almost every phase of the game whether it’s the powerplay, middle overs, or even at the death. What makes Patel different from others are his variations. With tons of experience playing in the IPL and the Indian team, Axar will be the vital cog in DC’s bowling department.
Injuries forced T Natarajan to miss the majority of the last season for the Delhi Capitals. The left-arm pacer is expected to return to DC strong, fit, and sharper this season. What made Nattu a household name in the IPL was his death bowling. His precision of bowling yorkers at will at any stage of the game makes him a lethal weapon DC should use in this IPL season. A fully fit Nattu with his toe-crushing yorkers will be an x-factor for DC.
Tags: IPL 2026