IPL 2026: What can be Delhi Capitals' best XI?
What's the story
With a star-studded line-up, Delhi Capitals (DC) will aim for their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title this time. Last season, under new captain Axar Patel, DC started well but lost steam midway through. They won five of their first six matches before faltering. DC will begin their IPL 2026 campaign on April 1 against Lucknow Super Giants. What can be their best XI?
Squad
Have a look at their squad
Players retained: Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, and Kuldeep Yadav. Players bought: Prithvi Shaw, Ben Duckett, David Miller, Pathum Nissanka, Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, and Sahil Parakh. Notably, Nitish Rana was traded in from Rajasthan Royals.
Batting
Batting has enough steam
DC have plenty of potential openers in KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Ben Duckett, Pathum Nissanka, and Karun Nair. They might back Duckett's firepower to complement a dynamic Rahul. Nitish Rana or Karun Nair can be their No. 3 batters, depending upon the combination. While Tristan Stubbs and Axar Patel will bolster the middle order, the finishers will likely be David Miller and Ashutosh Sharma.
Others
All-rounders and bowlers
Barring Axar, the Capitals don't have a known all-rounder this time. They backed spin-bowling all-rounder Vipraj Nigam last year and are expected to do so in the impending season too. Ashutosh Sharma can also give some overs of spin. Coming to specialist spinners, Kuldeep Yadav leads the pack. If DC replace opener Duckett with an Indian, they can play both pacers Mitchell Starc and Lungi Ngidi in the XI. Otherwise, either Mukesh Sharma or T Natarajan can partner with Starc.
Information
A look at DC's Probable XI
DC's Probable XI: KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ben Duckett, Karun Nair, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (captain), David Miller, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, and T Natarajan.