Players Who Might Not Play Single Match For Delhi Capitals In IPL 2026

Delhi Capitals start IPL 2026 campaign on April 1 [Source: X]

The IPL 2026 season is set to commence on March 28, and the Delhi Capitals remain one of the only two teams to have played every season of the competition and are yet to lift the elusive trophy.

In pursuit of their first title, they started IPL 2025 well, with 5 wins in their first 6 matches, before everything went south, and they finished 5th, just one point behind fourth-placed Mumbai Indians. Following the mega auction, they have built a strong core group, led by Axar Patel and have further strengthened it ahead of IPL 2026 to bid for the playoff spots.

On paper, the Delhi Capitals management have perfectly replaced the departing players and added considerable depth in the squad for IPL 2026 — so much so that quite a few prominent names wouldn’t even play any matches.

They have roped in the quality of David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, alongside the opener duo of Ben Duckett and Pathum Nissanka, and now face a problem of plenty. So, here’s a brief look at three big names in the Delhi Capitals squad who might not even play any matches in IPL 2026.

1. Karun Nair

In IPL 2025, Karun Nair returned to the league for the first time since 2022 and started with a swashbuckling knock of 89 runs against the five-time champions Mumbai Indians, while also going after Jasprit Bumrah. He stuck to an attacking approach in the top order, but despite some cameos, he only scored 198 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 172.17.

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(Karun Nair IPL 2025 stats)

This time around, with Faf du Plessis gone, it is likely that KL Rahul will open the innings, but the number 3 slot could be given to Nitish Rana, who was traded by the Delhi Capitals from the Rajasthan Royals. Abishek Porel has been another consistent performer for them, meaning there is no room in the top order for Nair.

2. Ben Duckett

Having played at a high level across formats for a few years, Ben Duckett finally got his maiden IPL contract ahead of IPL 2026, as the Delhi Capitals got him for INR 2 crore. In his 217-match T20 career and a 21-match T20I career, he has proven his worth as a dependable opener who can give consistent starts and maximise the powerplay.

However, despite coming in as a Faf du Plessis replacement, he would be well behind in the pecking order to open the innings for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. With a plethora of options to pick from, they are likely to go with KL Rahul and Abishek Porel as the first-choice openers.

(Ben Duckett stats in T20 and T20Is)

Additionally, Pathum Nissanka had an impressive T20 World Cup, while Duckett was benched throughout the competition, making it even more difficult for him to get a game over his Sri Lankan teammate.

3. Kyle Jamieson

Putting an end to a long injury cycle, Kyle Jamieson has returned to full fitness and has been playing regular competitive cricket for a good part of a year. He replaced Lockie Ferguson in the Punjab Kings squad last year and went on to play the final, where he picked 3/48 in 4 overs. The Delhi Capitals got him for a base price of INR 2 crore for IPL 2026.

However, despite being a regular in the New Zealand T20I squad, he will face stiff competition in the Delhi Capitals’ pace-bowling department in IPL 2026. Mitchell Starc will lead the attack, alongside the in-form Lungi Ngidi and the other two overseas players are expected to be Tristan Stubbs and David Miller.

(Delhi Capitals overseas pacers in all T20s since January 2025)

Additionally, Dushamantha Chameera, who is a premier bowler for Sri Lanka, is also a part of this squad, which makes it even more difficult for Jamieson to get matches, despite promising numbers since January 2025. If he gets any matches, he will prove to be handy with the new ball, given his natural ability to swing the ball and find the extra bounce with his 6’8” height.

Delhi Capitals' best playing XI for IPL 2026

Abhishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi. Impact Player- Sameer Rizvi.

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