Delhi Capitals, an original IPL team, has never won the trophy in its 18-year history. They reached the final only once, in 2020, but lost to Mumbai Indians. Last year, they had a forgettable season, finishing 6th in the table.
They had a clear strategy for this season’s auction. They retained Axar Patel and named him the new captain. They also kept Kuldeep Yadav, Abishek Porel, and Tristan Stubbs, who all performed well last season. Their biggest acquisition was KL Rahul, who was released by LSG after a fallout with Sanjiv Goenka.
In overseas batting options, Delhi Capitals secured Jake Fraser-McGurk, who was a breakout star for them. They also added the experienced opener Faf du Plessis after RCB chose not to retain him. Players like Karun Nair and Donovan Ferreira provide solid backup. Among the all-rounders, Ashutosh Sharma—one of Punjab Kings’ best batters last season—will play a key role in supporting the captain.
In the bowling department, Delhi Capitals secured one of the world’s best bowlers, Mitchell Starc. The Aussie had a tough season last year but delivered when it mattered most. Players like T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, and Kuldeep Yadav will need to support him well.
Weaknesses that could prove to be costly in Delhi Capitals’ title chase
KL Rahul is the only premium Indian batter in the squad. It’s proven that a strong Indian core is crucial for winning tournaments. Over-relying on players like Jack Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, and Tristan Stubbs could be risky. If even one of them gets injured, Delhi Capitals lack players who can match their performance level.
Despite having two world-class spinners in Kuldeep and Axar, the team lacks a foreign spin option to provide backup if either Indian player is ineffective. Both must be in top form, or Delhi could miss out on a playoff spot.
Delhi Capitals did well by not making Rahul the captain, even though he was the original choice. The decision to make Axar the captain and Du Plessis the vice-captain was to allow Rahul to play positively without pressure. However, his last season was disappointing, with several low strike-rate innings. Rahul needs to perform at his best if DC wants to keep their title hopes alive.
