DPL breakout star Ayush Doseja with his idol Virat Kohli (Source: DPL & ayush_doseja/Instagram)
In the high-pressure atmosphere of the Delhi Premier League (DPL), where young cricketers are constantly pushing to be noticed by scouts and selectors, West Delhi Lions’ captain Ayush Doseja is quietly scripting his own story.
As the tournament fast approaches its business end, in a do-or-die match against New Delhi Tigers on Wednesday, Doseja produced yet another match-winning performance. The captain took the charge in the chase and smashed an unbeaten 64 off 33 balls, guiding his team past the target.
Helping West Delhi Lions secure 2 crucial points amid the qualification chaos, Doseja’s recent exploits must have put him on the radar of IPL teams searching for a versatile Indian lefty batter who can switch up his game according to the match situation, ahead of the IPL 2027 auction.
Meet Ayush Doseja: One of the brightest Delhi prospect in recent few years
Ayush Doseja is living the dream in domestic season. After an astonishing run in his Ranji Trophy debut season, racking up 949 runs in the competition, Doseja has finally stepped up for West Delhi Lions after consistent backing from the franchise.
Notably, in the inaugural 2024 season of the DPL, Ayush Doseja featured in just two matches with limited opportunities. Nonetheless, he impressed the team management so much that he was the only player retained the next season.
In 2025, West Delhi Lions’ trust paid off as Doseja played a key role as a batter for the Lions, scoring 300 runs in 11 innings at an average of 42.86 and a strike rate of 136.99, helping power his team to the grand finale.
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The youngster single-handedly took the team beyond, or at least closer to, the winning line on at least three occasions. A 52-ball century against Purani Dilli 6, an unbeaten 84 off 48 and a match-saving 54 off 49 balls against East Delhi Riders were some such knocks.
However, whilst assessing young talent, it is often said that the second season provides a more apt measure of their ability. A single breakthrough campaign is no mean feat, but it is even more impressive when they are able to back it up with further success in the following year.
Doseja followed his DPL 2025 exploits with his maiden First Class season. On his Ranji Trophy debut, Doseja scored a double century against Hyderabad, amassing 949 runs along the way, the second-highest in the tournament and assumed the mantle of captaincy in Delhi’s final game against Mumbai.
The Delhi talent refuses to become the next Virat Kohli or Priyansh Arya
Though Doseja will soon leave West Delhi Lions to join the North Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2026, he made sure to leave an impact before he left.
Trusted with the captaincy, Doseja led from the front as the highest run-scorer for the team in the edition so far. In 8 matches, he scored 301 runs at an average of 50.17 and an impressive strike rate of 161.83.
Moreover, Doseja likes to back himself with confidence and not incompetence. During the 2025 edition, in an interview, Doseja spoke about being compared to the inaugural year’s breakout star, Priyansh Arya. “Priyansh is a very good player, and we practice together, but I don’t want to be the next Priyansh Arya. I want to be the first Ayush Doseja.”
With IPL scouts frequently attending DPL matches, the tournament has become a launchpad for bigger opportunities. In the past, names like Priyansh Arya, Sarthak Ranjan, Digvesh Rathi, Prince Yadav, and others optimised the DPL and earned IPL contracts.
Along the same lines, here are three IPL teams that could target the young talent Ayush Doseja in the IPL 2027 mini-auction.
1) Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals finished sixth in the IPL 2026 edition with seven wins and seven defeats, extending their playoff drought to five straight seasons.
While Delhi struggled for consistency throughout the season, their poor home form once again played a major role in their disappointing campaign. Playing seven matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, they won only two.
The Capitals struggled to understand the varying nature of the Kotla pitch and often failed to settle on the right strategy or playing combination for home games.
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At the same time, DC consistently experienced middle-order instability.
The Capitals constantly tweaked their batting order numbers, failing to establish a settled combination during the middle order. The middle phase (overs 7-15) saw low scoring throughout, especially the dismal 75 all-out against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Despite powerhouse names like Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, and captain Axar Patel, the middle phase lacked steady momentum.
Thus, capitalising on the local domestic league, DPL could serve as a scouting ground for the franchise. DC have already made a significant move by trading a local Delhi lad, Rishabh Pant, into their set-up.
Ayush Doseja has played most of his cricket in Delhi, along with the high-stakes DPL matches. Hence, adding another Delhi batter, such as Ayush, who is well acquainted with the pitch conditions at Arun Jaitley Stadium and can anchor the middle phase of the game, will be a blessing for them.
2) Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR's case is very interesting because Ayush Doseja solves a specific structural issue. Kolkata have power, spin-hitters and finishers, but they do not have a settled Indian batter in the middle order. In IPL 2026, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green batted 3rd and 4th.
Now that Ajinkya Rahane has hung up his boots, either Raghuvanshi or Green could be pushed to open the innings if KKR wishes to not buy a specialist opener in the 2027 mini-auction.
Ayush Doseja would give KKR exactly what their batting order often needs: a left-handed middle-order destroyer who can attack spin and change the mood of a game in two overs.
An Ayush Doseja-Rinku Singh middle order at Eden Gardens would be frightening. Both are left-handers, but they attack differently.
Ayush is calmer and more controlled at the death, while Rinku brings chaos and heavy bottom-hand power. Together, they would force captains into very awkward matchups.
3) Gujarat Titans
Shubman Gill-led GT’s batting struggles in the IPL 2026 again and again highlighted a problem that had been visible for a couple of seasons. While Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler carried the batting unit, the rest of the batters failed to make a major contribution despite the franchise investing heavily in them.
The Titans spent a combined Rs 17.45 crore on Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips, Sai Kishore, Arshad Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Kumar Kushagra, and Nishant Sindhu. However, excluding this group managed only 768 runs during the season, with Sundar emerging as their best bet.
Every time Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler failed to fire, none of the remaining Titans batters showed the resilience required in a demanding chase.
Safe to say, a left-handed middle-order batter known for his versatility, Ayush Doseja, who can score quickly while also building an innings, could make him a prime target for an IPL team like Gujarat Titans.
The biggest attraction is: Ayush Doseja isn't simply a T20 hitter. His 949-run Ranji Trophy debut season suggests he has the technique to play longer innings, while his DPL numbers show he can significantly increase the tempo in T20 cricket. That combination could make him an intriguing uncapped prospect at the IPL 2027 auction.
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