Delhi Capitals 2026: New additions, same ambitions

Eighteen years on, the hunt for IPL glory continues for the perennial contenders.

Their core intact, Delhi Capitals have added reinforcements aimed at fixing the cracks that derailed their 2025 campaign. The PowerPlay—both with bat and ball—was a persistent weakness, prompting the arrivals of Pathum Nissanka and Ben Duckett, alongside domestic options like Abhishek Porel and Prithvi Shaw, to offer greater flexibility. Constant chopping and changing in this department hurt them last season, and stability will be key. The bargain acquisition of David Miller should add much-needed impetus and finishing firepower.

On the bowling front, domestic standout Auqib Nabi Dar arrives on the back of a stellar Ranji Trophy season. With a significant investment behind him, Delhi will be banking on his knack for early breakthroughs.

DC's 2025 campaign derailed despite five wins in the first six games, largely due to batting instability. Momentum fizzled when it should have peaked, and they narrowly missed a top-four finish yet again. Their opening partnership averaged 21.78 in IPL 2025, the lowest among all teams, and had a run rate of 8.67, the second-worst after CSK.

In contrast, the lower order offered encouragement: their nos. 5 to 8 tallied 872 runs—third-highest overall—at a strike-rate of 162.38, second only to eventual champions RCB. Bridging this top-order inconsistency with their lower-order firepower could be the key to finally securing a playoff berth.

Potential XI: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, David Miller, Sameer Rizvi/Karun Nair, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (C), Ashutosh Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar/T Natarajan

Injury/Availability Watch

Mitchell Starc is set to miss the start of the season as Cricket Australia manages his workload ahead of a demanding international schedule. The 36-year-old quick's availability is contingent on his progress in return-to-play protocols. His absence could leave a significant gap in DC's new-ball attack.

What they do better than most

Middle-overs spin strangle

While their seamers struggled in the PowerPlay and at the death, the spin duo of skipper Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav remains the envy of many sides. Both Kuldeep (31 wickets, ER: 7.8) and Axar (16 wickets, ER: 8.0) have ensured the spin department is far from a concern.

A player that changes their ceiling

KL Rahul was Delhi Capitals' top scorer in IPL 2025 with 539 runs at 53.9, and the only batter from the side in the top 10. Yet, he opened just four times. Rahul's consistency is remarkable: he has tallied 500+ runs in seven of the last eight seasons, with only Virat Kohli ahead of him in this feat. DC will count on him to anchor the opening responsibilities.

DC's bowling in two key phases—PowerPlay and slog-overs—was alarming. Their quicks managed just 10 wickets in the Powerplay in IPL 2025 at an average of 53.2 while going at 9.41 RPO, and leaked at 11.39 runs per over in overs 16-20 across the last three IPL seasons. Failing to strike early and control the death overs remains a key vulnerability.

Pathum Nissanka, the destructive Sri Lankan opener, averages 34.3 in 38 innings since IPL 2025 in T20s, with 1235 runs, two hundreds, and eight fifties. He could well be the answer to DC's opening conundrum.

Of the limited schedule announced, Delhi Capitals have two back-to-back home games sandwiched between two away fixtures. With a home record of just 50 percent in 22 games since IPL 2023, Delhi will be eager to set the record straight and gain early momentum.