Once again, Delhi Capitals have endured a disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. After 12 of their 14 scheduled league matches, they were placed seventh among 10 teams. With only two matches remaining, the franchise faces an uphill task to win both games— and hope to finish among the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs. But their qualification would depend largely on the other results, as two wins would not be enough.
Delhi Capitals have won five matches and lost seven, leaving them with 10 points so far this season. After their defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 11, their playoff hopes became increasingly slim. One more defeat would confirm their elimination.
Since the launch of the IPL in 2008, the franchise has never won the title. Of the ten teams competing presently, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants also remain without a championship.
Last season, Delhi Capitals finished fifth among 10 teams. They are scheduled to play Rajasthan Royals on May 17 in Delhi before concluding their league campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 24 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
What went wrong?
Several aspects of Delhi Capitals’ campaign faltered this season, but the most significant issue was the inconsistency of the batting line-up. Barring KL Rahul — and to an extent Sri Lankan batter Pathum Nissanka and South African Tristan Stubbs — few players scored consistently.
After DC’s match on May 11, Rahul was the tournament’s third-highest run-scorer with 477 runs, including one century and three half-centuries, at a brilliant strike rate of 177.98.
Delhi Capitals crossed the 200-run mark only four times in their first 12 matches because of the batting unit’s inability to consistently post match-winning totals. Of those four matches, they won two and lost two.
Those defeats also exposed shortcomings in the bowling department.
An interesting feature of their campaign was that in their first six matches, Delhi Capitals chased targets, meaning the bowlers were rarely tested while defending totals in these matches.
Inconsistent campaign
“It’s been inconsistent. We sit here now and look back at a few games where we had opportunities. When you play in the IPL, against world-class players, you have to seize those moments, and we probably haven’t done that ruthlessly enough,” said Delhi Capitals batting coach Ian Bell, the former England batter.
“At this level, you need consistency. As I said, we were in a lot of games, but we lost key moments. Those are the conversations we’ve been having,” he added.
Team composition
Former India all-rounder Madan Lal, who captained Delhi to Ranji Trophy triumphs in 1985–86 and 1988–89, expressed disappointment with Delhi Capitals’ performance.
“There is no substitute for performance. It’s a professional environment; you have to deliver because franchises are paying huge amounts of money. I’m not saying players will perform in every game, but the overall season has to be good. If a player wins three or four games for the team, that’s significant,” Madan Lal told Patriot.
The 1983 World Cup winner identified several deficiencies in the side’s composition.
“To build a good team is crucial. The top-order batters, for instance, should be aggressive, and so should the lower-order players. You can look at SunRisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaasen or Delhi Capitals’ Ashutosh Sharma, who can score quick runs in the middle overs. Those extra 30 or 40 runs often become the winning margin because the momentum does not drop,” said the 75-year-old former all-rounder.
Compact squad
He added that the key to success lay in maintaining a compact and balanced squad.
“First of all, you need to build a good team. You don’t need a very large squad. Around 20–22 players are enough; that’s practically two teams. If there are injuries, replacements can always be brought in. With too many players in the dressing room, there are greater chances of acrimony,” he said.
“Second, you should have like-for-like replacements for every position. And the replacement should be as good as the first-choice player. I would like to ask DC: why hasn’t Prithvi Shaw been played so far?” he remarked, referring to the opening batsman.
Madan Lal also questioned the accountability of the coaching staff.
“What are the coaches doing? Are they answerable, and if yes, to whom? I am not saying results must come in one year. But if there are no results even after three years, changes have to be made.”
Chequered history
Delhi Capitals were originally named Delhi Daredevils when the IPL was launched in 2008. The franchise reached the semi-finals in the first two seasons before fading in the following years.
However, they made a strong comeback in 2012, finishing at the top of the league table after ending the previous season at the bottom.
Delhi Capitals reached the playoffs again in 2019 and 2021. Their best performance, however, came in 2020 when they reached the final under Shreyas Iyer. They eventually lost the title clash to the Mumbai Indians by five wickets.
Also Read: After strong start, can Delhi Capitals go all the way?
Before that turnaround, the franchise had changed both its name and logo, besides witnessing a 50% stake sale in the ownership structure. However, the rebranding did little to alter the team’s fortunes.
After the defeat to KKR on May 11, captain Axar Patel virtually admitted that hopes for the current season were fading.
“For now, we’ll go back and think about the mistakes we made. Obviously, there’s still a long journey ahead, and next season will come too. We’ll think about the plans and approach we need for next year,” he said.
