Delhi Capitals

Introduction

Delhi Capitals (DC) are one of only three franchises that have been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since the first season and are yet to win the title even once. The franchise is co-jointly owned by GMR group and JSW Sports. In 17 seasons of the IPL, DC have qualified for the final only once, in 2020, where they fell short against Mumbai Indians.

DC were originally Delhi Daredevils in 2008. They changed their name only in 2018. They have had a number of star players right from the first season of the IPL but have still been massive underachievers. In 17 seasons, DC have qualified for the playoffs only six times. Up until IPL 2024, DC were captained by Rishabh Pant. The dashing wicket-keeper has since moved to the Lucknow Super Giants for a record deal. DC are yet to announce a captain for the upcoming season. Axar Patel and KL Rahul are the frontrunners to take the captain's spot.

Delhi Capitals history

When the BCCI announced the launch of the IPL in 2008, GMR group, a property development group, won the bid to form a team in the tournament. They came up with the name Delhi Daredevils and stacked up their side with star players for the inaugural season. The likes of Virender Sehwag, David Warner, AB de Villiers and Andre Russell have all been a part of the Delhi franchise in the initial years.

In 2018, GMR sold 50% of their stakes in Delhi Daredevils to JSW Sports for approximately Rs 550 crore, and the name of the franchise was also changed to Delhi Capitals. "The new name symbolizes Delhi's identity and just like the city, we are aiming to be the centre of all action going forward," DC co-owner Kiran Kumar had said at the time.

An interesting story about the Delhi franchise is that in the IPL 2008 auctions, they had the first pick from the Under-19 World Cup batch of 2008. That batch had a certain Virat Kohli in the mix - a Delhi boy through and through. DC had the chance to pick him in the squad, but they instead chose to go with a left-arm seamer, Pradeep Sangwan. Royal Challengers Bangalore went with Kohli and the rest is history.

DC have been the perennial underachievers in IPL history. In fact, they have historically been quite poor. They made it to the semi-finals in 2009 and 2010. They did not make it to the playoffs for six straight seasons between 2013 and 2019. Then in 2020 came a change with Shreyas Iyer leading the side to the final of IPL for the first time, where they lost to Mumbai. In 2021, DC once again made it to the playoffs but haven't been able to finish inside the top four since.

DC's best result is IPL 2020, which is pretty poor for a side that has been studded with superstars.

Dehi Capitals Team Owners

When IPL was announced, Delhi Capitals was Delhi Daredevils and was owned fully by the GMR group, who bid $84 million dollars for the franchise. In 2018, GMR group sold 50% of their franchise to JSW Sports and the name was changed as well. Currently, Delhi Capitals is co-owned by GMR group and JSW Sports. Kiran Grandhi owns JSW Sports while Parth Jindal is the owner of GMR group, and the two run the Delhi Capitals franchise.

Delhi Capitals also have a lot of interest in other T20 franchises. They have a team in the Women's Premier League going by the same name. They also have a team named Dubai Capitals, which play in ILT20 in the UAE. Dubai Capitals are the most recent winners of the ILT20. They also have a team in SA20 going by the name Pretoria Capitals.

In 2024, the franchise also agreed to a £120 million deal to buy the Hampshire Cricket Club in the county circuit in England. They also hold a 51% stake in the women's Hundred side, Southern Brave.

Delhi Capitals Ex-Captains, Current Coaches, Home Ground

Up until IPL 2024, Delhi Capitals was led by Rishabh Pant, but they will have a new captain heading into IPL 2025, who is yet to be named. DC play all their home matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, but they have also established a new home ground in Visakhapatnam, where they have been playing two or three matches every season since IPL 2024. Hemang Badani is the head coach of DC, while Kevin Pietersen, who has played for the franchise in the past, has been appointed mentor of the side.

Delhi Capitals captains (2008 to 2025)

DC's ex-captains: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, James Hopes, Mahela Jayawardene, Ross Taylor, David Warner, Kevin Pietersen, JP Duminy, Zaheer Khan, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, David Warner, Axar Patel

Delhi Capitals' IPL 2024 Glimpse

It was another season where DC flattered to deceive, managing seven wins and seven losses in 14 matches. They finished sixth on the points table and failed to make the playoffs. They started their season losing four out of the first five games, and once that happened, it was always going to be a steep climb for DC. They did manage to win four of their next five games, but a playoffs spot had by then eluded their grasp.

Delhi Capitals in the IPL (2008 to 2024)

DC have managed to qualify for the playoffs of the IPL only six times, which includes the first two seasons where they were an extremely fluent side with a number of big-game players. They have failed to make it to the playoffs stage even once in the last three seasons. Only the 2020 season was one where DC showed their prowess big time.

Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025

DC have a new head coach in Hemang Badani and also a new mentor in Kevin Pietersen. As far as the squad is concerned, DC are a strong unit, as always. They have a solid core of overseas players and their local talents pack a punch. DC have also done their scouting well and got some players from the depths of the Delhi club circle. DC have always managed to round up an excellent squad but have never been able to convert it into success at the main tournament. Will that change in 2025?

Delhi Capitals players list for IPL 2025

Delhi Capitals full squad: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Mitchell Starc (Rs. 11.75 crore), KL Rahul (Rs. 14 crore), Harry Brook (Rs. 6.25 crore), Jake Fraser-McGurk (Rs. 9 crore), T. Natarajan (Rs. 10.75 crore), Karun Nair (Rs. 50 lakh), Sameer Rizvi (Rs. 95 lakh), Ashutosh Sharma (Rs. 3.80 crore), Mohit Sharma (Rs. 2.20 crore), Faf du Plessis (Rs. 2 crore), Mukesh Kumar (Rs. 8 crore), Darshan Nalkande (Rs. 30 lakh), Vipraj Nigam (Rs. 50 lakh), Dushmantha Chameera (Rs. 75 lakh), Donovan Ferreira (Rs. 75 lakh), Ajay Mandal (Rs. 30 lakh), Manvanth Kumar (Rs. 30 lakh), Tripurana Vijay (Rs. 30 lakh), Madhav Tiwari (Rs. 40 lakh)

DC Purse Remaining: Rs. 0.20 crore

DC RTM Cards Left: 0

DC Player Slots Remaining: 2

DC Overseas Player Slots Remaining: 1

DC Retained Players List: Axar Patel (Rs. 16.5 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (Rs. 13.25 crore), Tristan Stubbs (Rs. 10 crore), Abishek Porel (Rs. 4 crore)

What happened at the IPL auction 2025?

DC will be going into IPL 2025 with another power-packed squad. They retained five of their players from the previous season in Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel, but have also invested in a lot of big-name players. Their biggest buy in the IPL 2025 auction was KL Rahul whom they picked for a whopping Rs 14 crore. They splurged Rs 11.75 crore on Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, Rs 10 crore on T Natarajan and Rs 9 crore on Jake Fraser-McGurk. DC have a host of domestic talents such as Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma and Ashutosh Sharma, to name a few.

Delhi Capitals IPL 2025 Full Schedule: Delhi Capitals matches, dates, timings, venues

DC will kickstart their IPL 2025 journey against Lucknow Super Giants on 24th March 2025 and then will play Sunrisers Hyderabad on 30th March 2025, six days later. Both matches will be staged in Visakhapatnam. Here's DC's full schedule for IPL 2025.

How DC team Stats can help you on MPL?

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