Delhi Capitals’ struggles in IPL 2026 have largely been pinned on two recurring issues: questionable choices under pressure and a dip in Kuldeep Yadav’s effectiveness. Former India pace bowler Irfan Pathan believes the franchise still carries enough quality to be in the top four, but says it has not translated its talent into results in the ten-team competition. With the race for the playoffs now entering a decisive stage, Delhi—currently placed seventh—are wrestling with selection instability and a frustrating pattern of not performing at home.
This season, Delhi have rotated through 20 players, the joint-second highest number in IPL 2026, matching the figures of Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. The changes have been most evident in the middle order, where the team has experimented with as many as seven different batters from positions four to seven. Tristan Stubbs has played nine innings in that band, Sameer Rizvi seven, David Miller six, captain Axar Patel six, Ashutosh Sharma three, Karun Nair one, and Abishek Porel one—leaving the side with limited clarity over roles and a batting order that never quite settles.
Pathan suggested that Delhi’s squad should have been capable of challenging for a top-four finish. “Last year and even this year, Delhi looked like a team that should have been right in the mix for the top four. The players are very experienced and established. If you look at names like KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, and even Lungi Ngidi—who did well in the World Cup—we know that his variations can trouble the bigger batters,” Pathan said.
He added that the team’s finishing concerns remain a thread, pointing to Miller’s presence as a solution. “Miller is also in the side this season to address the lack of experience in closing out games, which was an issue for Delhi last year. But the match against the Gujarat Titans, where they lost on the last ball, will haunt them. It’s not easy to demand that a player takes full responsibility and wins you the match, because everyone wants to do that. Still, often under pressure, teams end up making the wrong decision,” Pathan said during a virtual interaction on Thursday.
Selection inconsistency was visible in Delhi’s game against CSK. Karun Nair was brought in as a replacement for Rizvi, only for Rizvi to return as the impact player after Nair’s dismissal. That kind of reshuffling has been paired with an alarming home record. Delhi have won only one of their five matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium this season—coming against Mumbai Indians last month—and the poor run started long before that.
Since IPL 2025, Delhi have managed just two wins from their ten home fixtures. Pathan said that kind of record naturally raises doubts about how well the team reads home conditions and adapts its plans. Another layer to their problems is their split performance depending on the toss outcome: Delhi have lost all three matches where they have batted first, while in chases they have won four times from seven attempts.
On the bowling front, Delhi have been the weakest unit across the league this season, taking only 41 wickets while maintaining an economy rate of 10.2. Pathan argued that Delhi need swift improvement if they are to keep their playoff hopes alive, especially as they prepare to face Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday evening.
Pathan further explained that decision-making has been a key factor. “Two things stand out for Delhi Capitals. First, I think their decision-making could have been better. In their last game, for instance, they won the toss, batted first, and believed the conditions would improve later — that was an issue,” he said.
He compared the situation to a match played on the same ground recently. “Especially against RCB a few days earlier, they batted first and were 75 for some stage. That day, there was a weather problem. In the CSK game as well, it rained again, and there was a real chance that conditions would become worse,” Pathan added.
“So if you want to chase, and you even win the toss, then a bit of planning and decision-making clearly wasn’t right. Then there’s the question of Mitchell Starc’s availability—he wasn’t available at the start of the season—which was also a concern. But I still feel they could have used their resources more effectively,” Pathan said, noting that he watched the team closely given his own history with Delhi, where he took 29 wickets in 46 matches across the 2011–13 IPL seasons.
Alongside those tactical issues, Kuldeep Yadav’s form has become a major worry for Delhi. The left-arm wrist spinner has conceded at 10.4 runs per over, taking only seven wickets, and has finished wicketless in five of his nine outings. His overall economy of 10.4 stands as the highest mark for him in any IPL season, exceeding his previous worst economy rate of 8.7, recorded in both 2019 and 2024.
Pathan noted that Kuldeep has contained runs in only a couple of matches, specifically against Lucknow Super Giants and RCB, where he conceded under 10. In seven other games, he has gone above that threshold. “Second, Kuldeep Yadav not being in form is a big problem for Delhi, because you rely on him—especially on turning tracks where the pitch offers a bit of help. If you concede runs and don’t even take wickets, that becomes a serious concern,” Pathan said.
“Look, he’s a very good bowler, and there’s no way around it. But if a main spinner is going beyond 10 runs an over, you’d expect a much better impact. These are two or three areas where Delhi could have done a lot better. If that had happened, maybe the team would have played in line with its potential, and the results could have looked different,” Pathan added.
Pathan also spoke about his experience on the “Champions Waali Commentary,” a dedicated Hindi digital feed designed for Hindi-speaking viewers and framed around more deliberate, in-depth discussion than traditional commentary. He said he has been enjoying the format’s broader conversations during matches.
“I’m absolutely loving it. Our camaraderie—especially with the other co-commentators—is great because everyone has different opinions, and we bring those differences to the viewers. That gives the audience a different and fresh perspective. Compared to normal, conventional commentary, there’s a slight difference in the pace,” Pathan said.
He explained how the feed works in practice. “In that, there is a very fast commentary, which is our usual Hindi commentary. In the Champions Waali Commentary, it moves at its own pace, but with more detail and more knowledge for the viewers. This is the feed we’re trying to build and keep moving forward,” Pathan added.
Champions Waali Commentary is a dedicated Hindi digital feed on CTV that features former TATA IPL champions sharing stories never heard before and offering an insight into players’ minds as live action unfolds.
