As the 19th edition of the prestigious cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) approaches, franchises have started to gear up for the upcoming season. Similarly, analysts and fans are also closely examining the squads of the franchises, putting down their weaknesses, positives and more. As we also look into the details of Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of IPL, here in this article, we have listed as many as three weaknesses which could hamper their campaign.
3 Weaknesses of DC ahead of IPL 2026
- No set first-choice opening pair
The DC squad boasts of some hard-hitters in the form of David Miller, KL Rahul, but it lacks a set opening pair, a common trend which has been seen in the past as well. Prior to the IPL 2026 mini-auction, the team had let go off its previous season opening batters in Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk, both of whom could not perform in IPL 2025. With the franchise still struggling for a stable opening pair, it has to be seen of they could come up with a better option this time around with Prithvi Shaw back in the DC colours and Abishek Porel supporting him at the top of the order.
- Over-reliance on overseas players
The team, which boasts of some exceptional names in international cricket, have heavily relied on their overseas options. If this reliance continues, it could pose a significant threat if an injury occurs as it could hamper their campaign in IPL 2026. To add on, in the bowling department, there have been too much dependence on overseas quick like Mitchell Starc and will be looking towards Lungi Ngidi, which mounts pressure and an injury could result in a difficult phase for the Capitals.
- Execution under pressure
Delhi Capitals, who have had a decent league phase in the IPL history, have been seen majorly struggling under pressure conditions. DC’s pattern of strong starts followed by mid-season collapses has become a troubling trend, one which was at evidence in IPL 2025 where they began with four consecutive wins before losing momentum and missing playoffs. Although a few players in Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Kuldeep Yadav and others have performed, but a mismanagement under pressure has led to their near misses as well.
Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 squad
Batters: KL Rahul, Karun Nair, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Pathum Nissanka, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs
All-rounders: Axar Patel (C), Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Dar, Nitish Rana
Bowlers: Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Lungi Ngidi, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav
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