After three consecutive years of failing to qualify for play-offs, Delhi Capitals will be eyeing their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title in the upcoming 18th season of the tournament. Possessing a well-rounded squad with a potent pace attack and a solid batting order, the effectiveness of DC's batting order and spin bowling will determine how successful they are. (More Cricket News)
The 18th season of the IPL is set to kickstart on 22 March with Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and DC will play their first match on March 24 against Lucknow Suoer Giants.
The biggest gain for the team was the purchase of KL Rahul for Rs 14 crore. Rahul, who has captained Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. Although Delhi have named Axar Patel as captain of the franchise and South African cricketer Faf du Plessis as his deputy.
Rahul's ability to play long innings at the top order provides stability to the team. He has so far scored 4683 runs in 132 IPL matches at an average of over 45, including four centuries and 37 half-centuries. For the IPL 2025 season, Delhi Capitals retained Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abishek Porel.
Delhi Capitals squad IPL 2025
Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ashutosh Sharma, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Donovan Ferreira, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma, T Natarajan, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav
Strength
The batting order of the team looks very strong, with Jack Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel as the openers. Fraser-McGurk scored 330 runs last season and had a strike rate of 234.04. His performance in the powerplay was exceptional, where he scored 266 runs at a strike rate of 250.94.
South Africa's Tristan Stubbs further strengthens the middle order. In the last IPL season, he scored 378 runs at a strike rate of 190.90, proving to be an excellent finisher. Apart from this, Delhi Capitals have also bought Ashutosh Sharma, who performed brilliantly for Punjab Kings last season.
In the bowling department, DC has built a lethal pace attack. Their biggest purchase was Mitchell Starc, who performed brilliantly in the qualifiers and finals for Kolkata Knight Riders last season. Apart from this, T Natarajan has also been included in the team, who was one of the best death over bowlers in IPL 2024. He took 19 wickets last season. Apart from this, Mukesh Kumar, who took 17 wickets last season, and veteran Mohit Sharma, who took 40 wickets for Gujarat Titans, also strengthen this bowling lineup.
Weakness
Delhi Capitals also have some shortcomings, which can affect their performance in IPL 2025. The biggest question is how the team will organize its top order. KL Rahul has traditionally been an opener, but Fraser-McGurk and Porel will also have to open. If Rahul comes at number three, his tendency to play slow can affect the pace of the team. The lack of correct positioning of the batsmen can spoil the balance of the team.
DC's biggest weakness lies in their spin bowling. They are highly dependent on Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Both are excellent spinners, but they do not have experienced backups. Their other options include 20-year-old uncapped players Vipraj Nigam and Ajay Mandal, who have no experience in the IPL. Not having an experienced off-spinner apart from Kuldeep and Axar can become a big problem for the team.
Opportunity
If DC establish their team balance correctly, they have a golden opportunity to move forward in IPL 2025. KL Rahul's experience can provide stability to the team, and if he maintains aggression in his batting, he can prove to be an important player for DC. Their young batting pair - Fraser-McGurk and Porel - have a chance to establish themselves as the most dangerous opening pair in IPL history. If they maintain their form, DC can score big in every match.
In bowling, Mitchell Starc has an opportunity to prove once again that he is one of the best T20I bowlers in the world. At the same time, Natarajan will try to establish himself among India's top death over bowlers.
Threats
Delhi Capitals also have to deal with some potential threats, which can derail their campaign. The biggest concern is that the team is over-reliant on Kuldeep and Axar and top-order batters. If any of them gets injured or they are not in form, then DC can have a big problem in the spin department. KL Rahul's slow strike rate could also become an issue. If he fails to adapt to the new role, it could affect the team's batting.
Delhi Capitals IPL 2025 Schedule
March 24, Sun - 7:30 PM IST | vs Lucknow Super Giants | Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Vizag
March 30, Sat - 3:30 PM IST | vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Vizag
April 5, Sat - 3:30 PM IST | vs Chennai Super Kings | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
April 10, Thu - 7:30 PM IST | vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
April 13, Sun - 7:30 PM IST | vs Mumbai Indians | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
April 16, Wed - 7:30 PM IST | vs Rajasthan Royals | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
April 19, Sat - 3:30 PM IST | vs Gujarat Titans | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
April 22, Tue - 7:30 PM IST | vs Lucknow Super Giants | Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
April 27, Sun - 7:30 PM IST | vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
April 29, Tue - 7:30 PM IST | vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
May 5, Mon - 7:30 PM IST | vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
May 8, Thu - 7:30 PM IST | vs Punjab Kings | Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
May 11, Sun - 7:30 PM IST | vs Gujarat Titans | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
May 15, Thu - 7:30 PM IST | vs Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
