As they begin their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1, Delhi Capitals will once again aim to lift their maiden Indian Premier League title. Despite a promising start to last season — winning four of their first five matches and appearing like genuine contenders — they fell away in the second half and narrowly missed out on playoff qualification.
Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1, 2026, in Lucknow. Last season, Delhi endured another inconsistent run, finishing outside the top four. With seven wins and six losses from 14 matches — with one game abandoned — they ended up in 5th place on 15 points, continuing their wait for a breakthrough season.
Delhi Capitals Squad: Axar Patel (C), KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish Rana, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi Dar, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, Kyle Jamieson
Probable Playing XI: KL Rahul (WK), Abishek Porel, Nitish Rana, David Miller, Axar Patel (C), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi Dar, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi Impact Player: Sameer Rizvi
Injury Update: Mitchell Starc is expected to miss the initial matches of the season. Cricket Australia is managing his workload ahead of a packed international schedule, and his return will depend on progress in his return-to-play protocols over the coming weeks. In his absence, Delhi will rely on Lungi Ngidi, T Natarajan, Kyle Jamieson, and Dushmantha Chameera to lead the pace attack.
KL Rahul is expected to take up wicketkeeping duties and open the batting, providing stability at the top. The middle order, featuring power-hitters like Tristan Stubbs and David Miller, adds firepower, while young talents such as Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, and Vipraj Nigam provide depth and finishing ability. Delhi’s bowling will be led by Kuldeep Yadav’s spin, with Starc expected to strengthen the pace attack once he joins mid-tournament. Fans are also keeping a close eye on emerging talent Auqib Nabi Dar from Jammu and Kashmir, who was signed for ₹8.40 crore and will be eager to make his mark on the big stage.
The franchise has already begun preparations, releasing practice footage featuring key players including captain Axar Patel and KL Rahul. Overseas players like David Miller, Ben Duckett, and Kyle Jamieson have also joined the camp. The support staff for IPL 2026 includes head coach Hemang Badani, bowling coach Munaf Patel, and former England batting star Ian Bell as assistant coach — whose technical expertise and international experience are expected to sharpen Delhi’s batting in crunch situations.