Delhi Capitals (DC) finished fifth in IPL 2025 after a strong start, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season despite winning six of their first eight games. A second-half collapse, marked by only one win in their last five, led to their elimination.
For 2026, the Capitals have revamped their batting, bringing in Pathum Nissanka, David Miller, and Nitish Rana to support KL Rahul, who was their leading run-getter last season.
With the 19th edition of IPL set to get underway on March 28, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin weighed in on DC’s chances, offering suggestions on what the franchise should do to improve.
“There was a match against CSK, where KL Rahul played an exceptional knock on a two-paced pitch. Yet, they never opened with him again for a while after that. Make sure he opens this season. He will have the Orange Cap if he does. Have Pathum Nissanka open with him at the top. Just do these basic things and leave it to the players,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“By trying to do too much as a support staff, you can impact the team in unimaginable ways. Ashutosh Sharma produced one amazing knock, but it felt like he never played after that. Suddenly, Sameer Rizvi played a game,” he added.
Ashwin described the DC bowling lineup as "great", suggesting the team could do very well if they do not constantly change their playing XI.
“Natarajan has dropped drastically in speed when I last saw him. Hopefully, he comes and delivers for them because he is a high-value pick. But even otherwise, they have a great bowling lineup. If Starc doesn’t play, they have Lungi Ngidi. Mukesh Kumar has been bowling the yorkers brilliantly. Kuldeep Yadav had the ball on a string last season. He and Axar Patel are banks as solid Indian spinners. Auqib Nabi should play and open the bowling with the new ball,” Ashwin remarked.
“DC have a good chance if they don’t constantly change their 11. Despite having a strong squad, they’ve found the magic recipe to get knocked out. If they utilise their resources well, they can give even MI a run for their money. Such is the strength of DC’s squad. But my prediction is they’ll just about have a chance to qualify by stuttering through the season,” he concluded.
Delhi Capitals will open their IPL 2026 campaign against the Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1.
