DC were the team last year, who started the tournament on a positive note, won a few games on the trot, but then narrowly missed out on the playoffs qualification. In what could be called an average season at best, the management released players like – Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande, Faf du Plessis, and Jake Fraser-Mcgurk.
At the IPL 2026 auction, some of their big buys included, Auqib Nabi for 8 Cr, Venkatesh Iyer for 7 Cr, Prithvi Shaw and also Sri Lankan Pathum Nissanka. Perhaps, Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao can hope for a turnaround with this team, which has a few positives, and have some problems up their sleeve too.
DC strengths for IPL 2026
Packed batting: If one was to rate DC’s batting, it would easily be 8.5/10. They not only have the presence of international stars, but also a good mix of Indian stars. Ashutosh Sharma was their dedicated finisher, who alone finished with 204 runs in 13 games and had an SR of 160. KL Rahul got 539 runs in IPL 2025 at an average of over 53.
Prithvi Shaw is looking for a redemption, and has made a comeback to the squad. He has spent a few years playing for DC already, and then there is Nitish Rana and Abhishek Porel too.
All-round prowess: Axar Patel has emerged as the most crucial T20 AR for the country, as well as DC. Last year he scored over 250 runs and picked up 5 wickets. He played a vital role in India’s T20 WC triumph as well. He would have Vipraj Nigam for company, who can muscle the ball lower down the order. Kyle Jamieson is equally good in both departments too.
Wicket-taking options: Kuldeep Yadav picked up 15 wickets in 2025 and economy was low at 7.07 only. He can forge a good partnership with Axar, if only the latter bowls enough. Auqib Nabi would be the one to watch out for, who finished as the highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy 2025-26, with 60 scalps.
DC weaknesses
Unavailability of Starc: The Aussie pacer was retained for 11.75 Cr, and yet he is all set to miss a few matches; there is still no clarity on when he would join. That puts bowling under some pressure for sure. Yes DC have Dushmantha Chameera in their ranks too, but how do you replace someone like Starc; last season too he had 14 wickets to his name.
Over-reliance on foreign stars: The team did a great job in getting a few foreign stars, but they can only play 4. How do you choose between — Chameera, Starc, Stubbs, Miller, Nissanka, Ngidi, and Jamieson. Ben Duckett has already withdrawn from the tournament. Hopefully, he is not replaced with an overseas player.
Death-bowling: Starc in IPL, has an economy of 9 in death overs. If one leaves him aside, Chameera is poor at 12, Natarajan 10.38, Ngidi 10.16, and Jamieson at 14.67. That could cause them some worry in the tournament.
Opportunities
DC has the potential to lift the trophy, if they can sort out their issues. There is a chance for Shaw to redeem his career and take his team to greater heights. Abhishek Porel and Ahsutosh Sharma have enough IPL exposure by now, and can really set the stage on fire.
Axar Patel would like to have a trophy as IPL skipper, on his CV. DC has come close multiple times, but somehow remains among a handful of teams who have never won the title.
Threats
Pressure of expectations: One can safely say, that they have a great squad, one that looks like title contenders. But that tag does add some unecessary pressure on the team. That pressure of the first trophy…
Fringe players factor: There are a few players in the side who would want to earn India cap. Nabi, Shaw and Karun Nair are in the list. One can say that IPL performances hardly matter, but the truth might be otherwise.
Tend to lose momentum: NO one can really say why, but DC as a team tend to lose momentum, if they start well. Last year, after winning 5 on the go, in the latter half, they lost 4 out of 5, with one being an NR.
Strongest Playing XI Delhi Capitals
| S. No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | KL Rahul |
| 2 | Pathum Nissanka |
| 3 | Nitish Rana |
| 4 | Tristan Stubbs |
| 5 | David Miller |
| 6 | Ashutosh Sharma |
| 7 | Axar Patel |
| 8 | Vipraj Nigam |
| 9 | Auqib Nabi |
| 10 | Kuldeep Yadav |
| 11 | Lungi Ngidi |
| 12 (Impact Sub) | Sameer Rizvi |
DC full squad
Nitish Rana, Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, Kyle Jamieson
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