The Delhi Capitals (DC) are one of three teams to remain undefeated in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Despite not having the services of Mitchell Starc and KL Rahul yet to leave a mark, DC has managed to find success. Backing Sameer Rizvi has turned out perfectly for them. Their domestic bowlers have done the heavy lifting. Putting them in great positions in both games.
Should Delhi Capitals drop Nitish Rana?
At this moment, Delhi has just one problem. The number three spot. Nitish Rana was picked over Karun Nair and Abishek Porel for that position. The southpaw hails from the nation’s capital and recently returned to the domestic team, featuring the 2025 edition of the Delhi Premier League (DPL).
Banking on his experience of playing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Rana was preferred. Not to forget that he was one of the better hitters of spin for the Rajasthan Royals last season. However, things haven’t transpired as Delhi and Rana would’ve liked.
Two matches in, Rana has scored just 17 runs at a strike rate of 75. He looked out of his depth against Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, and Mohsin Khan in Lucknow. Facing the Mumbai Indians, he was run out by Jasprit Bumrah. The question now is, will Delhi retain him in the starting team against the Gujarat Titans?
Predicted Delhi Capitals Playing XI vs Gujarat Titans
| S. No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KL Rahul (wk) | Wicketkeeper opener |
| 2 | Pathum Nissanka✈️ | Opener |
| 3 | Abishek Porel | Top-order batter |
| 4 | Tristan Stubbs✈️ | Middle-order batter |
| 5 | David Miller✈️ | Middle-order batter |
| 6 | Axar Patel | All-rounder |
| 7 | Vipraj Nigam | Bowling all-rounder |
| 8 | Kuldeep Yadav | Left-arm wrist spinner |
| 9 | Mukesh Kumar | Right-arm fast bowler |
| 10 | Lungi Ngidi✈️ | Right-arm fast bowler |
| 11 | T Natarajan | Left-arm fast bowler |
| Impact Player | Sameer Rizvi/ Karun Nair/ Auqib Nabi/ Ashutosh Sharma/ Nitish Rana |
Despite winning, one can see why DC might drop Rana. As mentioned above, they have Nair and Porel waiting in the wings. Both had above-average seasons in 2025. Nair struck quickly while Porel was a bit of an anchor. Right now, Rana isn’t doing either. It may seem harsh, but one has to remember that Rana is 32. Nair isn’t any younger, but Porel is just 23.
DC can also contemplate bringing Ashutosh Sharma into the mix. So far, he hasn’t played with Rizvi coming in as the impact substitute. Delhi can replace Rana with Rizvi and then use Ashutosh as the 12th player. However, this looks slightly unlikely since Rizvi has been batting at four, not three. The last thing DC will want is losing their best batter early on.
