From roar makers to silent strugglers: Inside Delhi Capitals’ chaotic IPL 2026 campaign
Delhi Capitals (Source: IPLT20.com)
Published - 26 May 2026, 06:07 AM• Read time - 4 mins
A campaign that began with a promise of ending a five-year wait for a playoffs qualification again had a tragic end as Delhi Capitals (DC) finished sixth in the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). After missing out on qualification by a whisker in 2025, Delhi were expected to put up an improved show, having learnt from their mistakes.
However, the Axar Patel-led side failed to find any momentum whatsoever and looked clueless in the middle as their campaign gradually slipped from their grasp with every loss. It was a collective failure for DC, who came into the season with so much potential, only to falter when it mattered the most.
As Delhi closed another disappointing campaign, we dissect what went wrong for the side that had unbridled established and young talent flourishing in their camp:
Failure to dominate at home
Delhi began their campaign with back-to-back victories, starting their home leg with a commanding six-wicket win against Mumbai Indians. However, it took them 43 more days to taste another win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, suffering five successive losses in between two victories.
Delhi Capitals’ head coach Hemang Badani was displeased with the inconsistency of the surface provided during the season at home, saying that it reduces it to an away venue only. Badani highlighted that the pitches never suited their style of play, exposing them to new challenges in every fixture.
Lack of support for KL Rahul
Some things are inevitable in life: death, taxes and KL Rahul having a 500-run season in the IPL. This year again, he emerged as the strongest pillar holding Delhi’s campaign together, being the team’s most prolific batter with 593 runs. However, this season, Rahul not only accumulated runs, but he whacked them at a strike rate of 174.41, the second-highest among the top five run scorers till the league stage.
However, apart from him, none of the other batters crossed the 300-run mark, exposing the wide gulf between him and the other players. Sameer Rizvi, Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs and Pathum Nissanka all showed flashes of brilliance, but nobody attained the consistency needed to build a successful campaign.
No clarity on playing combination
Delhi Capitals benched Ashutosh Sharma for the first half of the season, only to realise their mistake following his excellent finishing in the latter half of their campaign. The 27-year-old played several crucial cameos lower down the order, playing a key role in victories against Rajasthan Royals (twice), Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
However, the victories came after Delhi had sunk too deep in the hole dug by themselves and couldn’t help much in reviving their campaign.
Inability to seize on crucial moments
One of the major factors behind Delhi’s poor show was their inability to seize crucial moments in the game, and allowing the opponents to claw their way back through some lethargic work in the field.
Karun Nair dropping Shreyas Iyer twice and KL Rahul leaving a run-out chance of Abhishek Sharma, were some of the major game-changing moments in Delhi’s campaign.
DC was also the worst fielding side of the season, having the fewest number of catches (48) among all ten teams.
A bowling attack that lacked fire
Delhi had the joint-worst bowling attack of the season in terms of wickets, having collectively accounted for just 64 dismissals across 14 games. In terms of economy, they were the third-worst, having leaked runs at 10.03 runs per over. Lungi Ngidi was the brightest prospect, being the leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps. Apart from him, the veterans such as Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and T Natarajan failed to break partnerships.
Moreover, the late arrival of Mitchell Starc also added to their woes, who finished the season with 11 wickets from just six games.
An underperforming captain
Fresh from guiding India to their second successive T20 World Cup victory, Axar Patel was expected to lead from the front. However, the DC skipper could never impose himself on the opponents, with just 173 runs and 11 wickets to his name. Axar's poor performances even seeped into some of his decisions on the field, which only added to DC’s misery.
