Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals, one of the IPL's original franchises since 2008, have yet to win an IPL championship, with their best finishes being runners-up in 2009 and 2020. Known for explosive batting and a strong Delhi-based core, the team plays home matches at Arun Jaitley Stadium.

In IPL 2025, Delhi Capitals finished fifth, missing the playoffs after a mid-season slump despite early promise. Key highlights included KL Rahul's consistent top-order runs, Mitchell Starc's fiery pace, and Kuldeep Yadav's spin wizardry, which claimed 18 wickets, though batting collapses cost them crucial games.

Ahead of IPL 2026, they retained Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, and Tristan Stubbs for leadership and balance. Released players were Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Donovan Ferreira, Sediqullah Atal, and Mohit Sharma to refresh the squad. Strengths include a solid spin attack with Axar and Kuldeep, plus Starc's death bowling and Stubbs' finishing. Weaknesses lie in top-order instability and lack of pace depth.

With a substantial auction purse of around ₹20 crore remaining after retentions, Delhi should target Jake Fraser-McGurk for aggressive opening, Prithvi Shaw as a domestic opener, and Anrich Nortje to bolster pace attack, addressing key gaps for a playoff push.