Delhi Capitals history
The Delhi Capitals have had a mixed history in the IPL, marked by early promise, periods of underachievement, and a resurgence after their rebranding in 2018. Initially starting strongly, they made the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 and topped the table in 2012 but finished last multiple times (2011, 2013, 2014, and 2018). The rebranding from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals in December 2018 brought improved performances, with playoff appearances in 2019, 2020 (runners-up), and 2021 (top of the league table).
Despite recent stability with a focus on youth, some squad-building decisions have hurt them. For instance, they did not pursue Virat Kohli in 2008 due to an already strong lineup and later released Gautam Gambhir, who went on to lead KKR to two titles. Other notable players they let go include AB de Villiers, Andre Russell, Trent Boult, Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada, and Avesh Khan.
Overview of Delhi Capitals History
- Initial Struggles: The franchise began with promise but faced challenges, finishing last in several seasons (2011, 2013, 2014, and 2018).
- Rebranding: In December 2018, the team was rebranded from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals, which marked a turning point as they reached the playoffs in 2019 and made their first final appearance in 2020.
- Focus on Youth: Recent strategies have emphasized building a young team, featuring players like Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw.
Highs and Lows of Delhi Capitals
Highs:
- 2008 and 2009: Made it to the semi-finals.
- 2012: Dominated the league with 11 wins in 16 matches.
- 2020: Reached the final for the first time.
- 2021: Topped the table with 10 wins from 14 matches.
Lows:
- 2013-2018: A prolonged slump, frequently finishing at the bottom of the table.
- 2023: Finished 9th, their worst in a decade, missing key players like Rishabh Pant.
Delhi Capitals season by season
M14 W7 Win% 50
Another mediocre season for DC. Australian import Jake Fraser-McGurk was a bright spark, making 330 runs in nine matches, and Rishabh Pant (446 runs) had a better year than most expected, coming back from a long injury layoff. But Warner in his last season was a disappointment, and though Capitals recovered from a disastrous start (one win in their first five games), they finished in the bottom half of the table again.
M14 W5 Win% 35.7
Capitals’ worst finish in a decade. They missed Pant, out injured after a car crash the previous December, and Kuldeep Yadav took half as many wickets as he did the previous year. Warner, the captain, made 516 runs, but no one else in the side came close. They never really recovered after losing their first five matches on the trot.
M14 W7 Win% 50
Who knows what might have been had Pant reviewed a caught-behind against Tim David of Mumbai Indians, on zero at the time, in their last league game. David went on to win the match, knocking Capitals out. There was some good work up top through the season by Warner (back with the franchise), Shaw and Mitchell Marsh, and a new-look bowling attack, of whom Kuldeep Yadav took 21 wickets from 14 games.
M16 W10 Win% 62.5
Fast bowler Avesh was the big success story of the year, taking 24 wickets at an economy of 7.37. Dhawan had another fantastic season, though he tailed off a bit at the end, finishing with 587 runs. Shaw and Pant were the two other big scorers, with 479 and 419 runs respectively. Still, Delhi were light on batting and they came unstuck in the playoffs.
M17 W9 Win% 52.9
Dhawan and Iyer excelled with the bat, scoring 618 and 519 runs respectively; Rabada and Anrich Nortje picked up 52 wickets between them; and Axar Patel and Marcus Stoinis put in excellent all-round performances. Capitals won eight of their 14 matches in the league to make the final after getting past SRH, before then coming unstuck in the title game.
M16 W10 Win% 62.5
Dhawan returned to his home team, and between them, Pant, Iyer, Shaw and he made close to 1500 runs. Kagiso Rabada led the bowling, with 25 wickets. This time Delhi won nine games to finish at No. 3 on the table. They beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eliminator – their first win in the knockouts ever – but were then knocked out themselves by CSK.
M14 W5 Win% 35.7
Pant slammed 684 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 173.60, Iyer chipped in with 411 runs, and there were handy contributions from Vijay Shankar, Prithvi Shaw and Trent Boult (18 wickets), but Delhi still lost nine games and won only five. That meant a bottom-place finish for them for the fourth time.
M14 W6 Win% 42.8
Delhi hit a plateau with another sixth-place finish, though with six wins and eight losses this time. Still, with Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer all scoring over 300 runs for the season, there was reason to believe that the core of a strong team was coming together.
M14 W7 Win% 50
Delhi’s fortunes saw a small uptick: after having languished at the bottom, they moved one step up the ladder, with seven wins and seven defeats. Quinton de Kock starred with 445 runs; legspinner Amit Mishra and another South African import, Chris Morris, took 26 wickets between them.
M14 W5 Win% 35.7
Around this time, nothing Delhi did really worked. Their performance was marginally better than in 2014, but five wins and eight losses only allowed them to finish above Kings XI Punjab, another team that had made a name for finishing in the bottom half of the table.
M14 W2 Win% 14.2
Another season, another woeful performance. If they won three and lost 13 the previous year, this time, with the tournament back to eight teams, they won two and lost 12, the two wins coming in their first five games, in the UAE. Delhi ended the tournament with a string of nine straight losses.
M16 W3 Win% 18.7
Delhi fell into perhaps their worst slump, with three wins and 13 losses. Their first win came in their seventh game, against Mumbai Indians, and then, after two wins, there was another run of six straight defeats to end their campaign.
M18 W11 Win% 61.1
The big-ticket stars – Sehwag, Pietersen, Jayawardene, Morkel, Warner – all came good, and Delhi ticked like a well-oiled machine, finishing top of the table at the end of the league stage. But it would be so near yet so far again for them: losses to KKR and CSK knocked them out.
M14 W4 Win% 28.5
When it all went wrong for the first time. Pune Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala joined the IPL, making it a ten-team affair, and the two new sides and Delhi made up the bottom three, with Delhi last.
M14 W7 Win% 50
Delhi might have expected to build on the momentum of their first two seasons, but after winning their first two games, they only won five more, to finish tied on points with three other teams behind Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers. Their net run rate worked against them, and Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore went through.
M15 W10 Win% 66.6
Delhi were the form team in the group phase of the competition, played in South Africa. They won ten of their first 14 games, and topped the table going into the knockouts, where they lost to eventual champions Deccan Chargers in the semi-final.
M14 W7 Win% 50
Delhi started well, with two wins on the trot, and managed to win enough games – seven out of 14 – to finish fourth on the points table. But Rajasthan Royals, who Delhi had beaten in their first game, were on a roll, and beat Delhi in the semi-final on the way to the title.
Delhi Capitals key players
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has emerged as a pivotal figure in the history of the Delhi Capitals, now holding the record as the highest scorer for the franchise with over 3000 runs. His impressive strike rate of 148.93 underscores his reputation as one of the most formidable middle-order T20 batters. Despite facing challenges in recent seasons—struggling to make an impact in 2022 and missing the entire 2023 season due to injury—he made a commendable comeback in 2024, scoring 446 runs.
Virender Sehwag
Sehwag, who last played for Delhi in 2013, was a cornerstone of the team, leading them to playoff appearances in their early years. He held the top run-scorer position until Shreyas Iyer surpassed him in 2020, finishing his career with 2174 runs. Sehwag’s notable achievement includes hitting five consecutive T20 half-centuries during the 2012 season.
Amit Mishra
Renowned for his bowling prowess, Mishra took 106 wickets in 99 matches for Delhi. Although he played for other franchises, his most significant impact came with Delhi. His opportunities dwindled in 2021, leading to his transfer to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2023 after going unsold.
Shreyas Iyer
Iyer was a mainstay for Delhi until his move to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022. Accumulating 2375 runs from 87 matches, he was integral for both batting stability and leadership. His participation was hampered by injury during the 2021 season.
David Warner
Warner’s journey with Delhi began in their inaugural season and continued until 2013. He returned in 2022 as a leading run-scorer for the Capitals, contributing significantly to their batting lineup despite mixed team performances.
The Delhi Capitals have faced several challenges throughout their IPL history, which have contributed to their reputation as underachievers despite early promise. Here are the primary challenges.
Challenges Faced by Delhi Capitals
1. Poor Team-Building Decisions
- Key Player Releases: The franchise has made several questionable decisions regarding player retention and recruitment. Notably, they did not pursue Virat Kohli in 2008, believing they had sufficient talent with players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and AB de Villiers. This decision, along with releasing Gambhir after he had a successful stint, has been criticized in hindsight, especially considering Kohli’s subsequent success with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gambhir’s three IPL titles with Kolkata Knight Riders.
- Other Notable Departures: Over the years, Delhi has let go of several impactful players, including Andre Russell, Trent Boult, Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada, and Avesh Khan, which has affected their competitive edge.
2. Leadership Instability
- Frequent Changes in Captaincy: Between 2013 and 2018, the team experienced frequent changes in leadership, which contributed to inconsistent performances. The lack of stable leadership during this period hindered the team’s ability to build cohesion and maintain a consistent strategy.
3. Inconsistent Performances
- Prolonged Slump (2013-2018): During this period, the team frequently finished at the bottom of the table, struggling to find form and consistency. Their inability to capitalize on their earlier successes led to a loss of momentum and fan support.
4. Injury Setbacks
- Impact of Injuries: The absence of key players due to injuries has significantly impacted the team’s performance. For example, Rishabh Pant’s injury in December 2022 kept him out for the entire 2023 season, contributing to their worst finish in a decade (9th place). His leadership and batting prowess were sorely missed during this time.
The Delhi Capitals’ journey has been marked by a combination of poor strategic decisions in player management, instability in leadership roles, inconsistent performances over several seasons, and critical injuries to key players. These challenges have hindered their ability to consistently compete for the IPL title, despite moments of success and a focus on building a youthful team in recent years.
Delhi Capitals Squad for IPL 2025
| Player | Role | Salary (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Axar Patel | All-rounder | 16.50 crore |
| KL Rahul | WK-Batter | 14 crore |
| Mitchell Starc | Bowler | 11.75 crore |
| T Natarajan | Bowler | 10.75 crore |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | Batter | 9 crore |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler | Retained |
| Tristan Stubbs | Batter | Retained |
| Harry Brook | Batter | 6.25 crore |
| Mohit Sharma | Bowler | 2.20 crore |
| Karun Nair | Batter | 50 lakh |
| Sameer Rizvi | Uncapped Batter | 95 lakh |
| Ashutosh Sharma | All-rounder | 3.80 crore |
| Faf du Plessis | Batter | 2 crore |
| Darshan Markande | Bowler | 30 lakh |
| Dushmantha Chameera | Bowler | 75 lakh |
| Donovan Ferreira | WK-Batter | 75 lakh |
| Ajay Mandal | Uncapped All-rounder | 30 lakh |
| Manvanth Kumar | Uncapped Batter | 30 lakh |
Which team is GMR associated with in IPL?
The GMR Group is one of the co-owners of the Delhi Capitals franchise in the Indian Premier League. The group initially owned the team outright but later sold a 50% stake to JSW Sports
Which is the strongest team in IPL?
The title of the "strongest team" in IPL is subjective and depends on various factors such as consistency, titles won, and player performances. Historically, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are considered the strongest teams due to their multiple IPL titles (MI with 5 and CSK with 5 as of 2023) and consistent playoff appearances. Delhi Capitals, despite their improvements post-2018, are yet to win an IPL title
Who is DC captain in 2025?
The captain of Delhi Capitals for the 2025 IPL season is KL Rahul.
Who are the playing XI for Delhi Capitals in 2025?
The probable playing XI for Delhi Capitals in the 2025 IPL season includes:
- KL Rahul (WK-Batter)
- Jake Fraser-McGurk (Batter)
- Harry Brook (Batter)
- Axar Patel (Captain, All-rounder)
- Tristan Stubbs (Batter)
- Mitchell Starc (Bowler)
- Kuldeep Yadav (Bowler)
- T Natarajan (Bowler)
- Sameer Rizvi (Uncapped Batter)
- Ashutosh Sharma (All-rounder)
- Dushmantha Chameera (Bowler)
