NEW DELHI: At the toss for Delhi Capitals’ season opener of the 2026 Indian Premier League against the Lucknow Super Giants, plenty of attention was drawn to one name in the starting XI. Mukesh Kumar’s inclusion sparked questions in the stands, with observers wondering why the spotlight wasn’t on Aquib Nabi, the India-bound domestic sensation who DC paid Rs 8.40 crore for and many expected to hand in his debut. Yet the narrative around Mukesh has never been about instant arrivals. He has been embedded in the Capitals’ setup for longer, earning his place through repeat performances since joining the franchise in IPL 2023 for Rs 5.50 crore.
His body of work has also extended beyond the IPL. Mukesh has been a steady force domestically, which helped him earn a call-up to India. He then featured across all three formats during India’s 2023 tour of the Caribbean. True, the early returns in the current tournament have come from a small sample—36 deliveries across two matches—but what stands out is his impact in the power of pressure overs. In six overs so far, he has already produced 20 dot balls. Against Lucknow, he repeatedly pinned Rishabh Pant with probing lengths, finishing with 11 dot balls from his 18 deliveries.
After Delhi’s six-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Mukesh made the point that the season is a marathon, not a moment. “This isn’t just one or two matches. It’s a 14-match tournament. If the team doesn’t back you, it becomes difficult,” he said to reporters.
Later, in an afternoon game against Mumbai, Mukesh began by probing with a fuller approach, searching for movement. Ryan Rickelton punished him for a boundary, but Mukesh didn’t drift away from his intent. Two balls afterwards, he again went for the wicket-taking line, only to be struck for another score. The pacer then adjusted—pulling his length back and forcing Rickelton to deal with a steadier, more demanding line. That patience paid off when Rickelton was eventually beaten for his wicket. Mukesh then caught Tilak Varma out with a pace change and wrapped up the contest with a sharp caught-and-bowled. The performance earned praise from Jasprit Bumrah, who, in a light-hearted exchange after the match, joked about him as “Mukesh McGrath.”
The last year has not been gentle on the 32-year-old. He has battled back-to-back injuries, first a hamstring problem and then a calf strain, which ruled him out of a substantial portion of the domestic season. Even so, his belief in his craft remained intact. “He always talks about my skills. He keeps telling me that tere haath mey jo kala hai wo kisi aur ke pass nahi hai” —those words, delivered in Hindi during a pre-season moment, captured the message from those around him. The guidance came from DC bowling coach Munaf Patel, who held a long discussion with Mukesh before the campaign started. “He always talks about my skills. He keeps telling me that tere haath mey jo kala hai wo kisi aur ke pass nahi hai (The art you have is very unique). He keeps saying that I am the best bowler,” Mukesh explained during that pre-season interaction.
There is a rooted understanding of the grind behind Mukesh’s temperament. Hailing from Gopalganj in Bihar, he learned early that hard work doesn’t wait for permission. He began playing cricket in Bihar despite his father’s late opposition, with Kashinath Singh pushing back on his sporting ambitions. The move to Kolkata followed in 2012, partly as a support system for his father’s struggling taxi business. But the daily grind of transport work left him restless, and he started turning up for second-division matches in the maidans, earning between Rs 400 and Rs 500 per outing as he chased improvement.
Mukesh’s development caught the eye of former Bengal head coach Arun Lal. Lal valued his capacity to bowl extended spells, calling him both “a captain’s dream” and “a nightmare for batters” because he rarely offered an easy ball. The underlying driver for those long spells has been a hunger to keep learning. That appetite drew attention from VVS Laxman, Waqar Younis, and Muttiah Muralitharan during the Vision 2020 programme organised by the Cricket Association of Bengal in 2014.
Last year, that focus on technique and length became even clearer. Mukesh described how he studied Josh Hazlewood’s approach and refined his own plan around it. “Last year, I observed how Hazlewood bowled. He consistently hit Test-match lengths. Our coach advised me to focus on my strengths and target that area. It’s a difficult length to score off, especially if the ball is moving. If someone hits you on a good day, that’s fine, but generally it’s a safe and effective option,” he said.
After the Mumbai match, Mukesh again reiterated how closely he watched Hazlewood, highlighting the Australian’s ability to hit hard lengths without getting spooked by the risk of runs. “Last year, I observed how Hazlewood bowled. He consistently hit Test-match lengths. Our coach advised me to focus on my strengths and target that area. It’s a difficult length to score off, especially if the ball is moving. If someone hits you on a good day, that’s fine, but generally it’s a safe and effective option,” Mukesh added.
Although Mukesh last played for India in 2024, the right-arm seamer is still working towards a return to international cricket. He spoke about his discussions with selectors following his recent performances for India A. “I spoke to the selectors,” Mukesh said, referring to his run as the leading wicket-taker during India A’s tour of Australia near the end of 2024, just ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Test series. “The team had already been selected by then, but it was a good thing to be around the group. I spoke to the selectors and they said if I perform in domestic cricket and in the IPL, I will make a comeback.”
There is an inspirational thread to Mukesh’s journey, one that has even registered with MS Dhoni. The former India captain acknowledged his story when they crossed paths during Mukesh’s first IPL season. Now, with Delhi Capitals looking to gather momentum in the 2026 campaign, Mukesh Kumar is not merely filling an opening-bowling slot. He is shaping spells with quiet control, proving that in a league defined by big hitting and larger-than-life reputations, the ability to command the ball still changes matches. One dot ball at a time, Mukesh is not only rebuilding his own career—he is also reshaping the contests in front of him.
