They have players for each role and quality backups in case of injury or unavailability, making them a top contender for next season.
Delhi Capitals (DC) had a terrific IPL 2025 auction, buying a few quality players and forming a side that can compete hard next season. While they couldn’t get Rishabh Pant back despite using Right To Match (RTM), they covered it by filling their squad with other solid options.
DC’s main buy was KL Rahul, for whom they spent INR 14 crore, but they didn’t compromise on other slots and were precise with their selections. They have players for each role and quality backups in case of injury or unavailability, making them a top contender for next season.
We look at what Delhi Capitals’ top seven might look like in IPL 2025.
KL Rahul might open the innings for Delhi Capitals and can act as a wicketkeeper batter. He is among the most prolific run-scorers in the competition, but his strike rate has been an issue for a long time. However, the decks in Delhi have lately been flat, and Rahul can look to improve on this aspect.
His shot-making ability is unmatched, and he needs an attacking mindset to thrive. The recent trends will force Rahul to up his ante and score more freely than all these years. His low intent was the reason behind his omission from Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) despite scoring tons of runs in the previous seasons.
A boundary-hitting machine, Jake Fraser-McGurk will be an ideal opener to partner KL Rahul at the top. Delhi Capitals exercised their RTM card to get him back for INR 9 crore during the IPL 2025 auction, showing trust in his abilities. Fraser-McGurk can thwack pacers at will and exploit the field restrictions in the first six overs, and the deck in home games will suit his natural attacking style.
He had a strike rate of 250.94 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 2.03 in the powerplay last season. After a string of low scores, Fraser-McGurk finally got going in the previous game, showing his beast mode. The Capitals hope he continues his run in the IPL and provides blazing starts from the top.
Abishek Porel was among the four retentions of Delhi Capitals before the IPL 2025 auction. He is another wicketkeeper batter who brings variety to the batting unit. He had a breakthrough season last year, unleashing his true range and showing his superior expertise.
Abishek specialises in hitting pace and can hit all lengths equally, as his strike rate of 174.45 vs pacers in IPL 2024 depicts. His spin game is also on the rise and will get better with more exposure to the league. At No.3, he can pace his innings and bat according to the team’s requirements while bringing an LHB dimension to the batting unit.
Porel also comes off a remarkable Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament where he was the sixth-highest run-scorer with 335 runs in nine matches, scoring at a rate close to 160.
Also Read: ‘Something Happened’ – Former KKR Player Left Frustrated After IPL 2025 Auction Snub
Among the finest young talents in world cricket, Harry Brook might be best suited at No.4 due to his supreme skillsets vs spin. He can manoeuvre the fields and hit boundaries regularly when the field is spread, standing him out from other batters in the lineup. He struck at 158.69 vs spin in T20s last year.
Meanwhile, his pace game is equally encouraging, suggesting he can be flexible with his batting position. Brook was among the best middle-order batters available in the auction, and DC ensured getting him again. He was unavailable last season due to personal reasons, but DC know his value and got him back.
Delhi Capitals can boast of having two of the finest overseas talents in their middle order. If Harry Brook is perfectly suited for No.4, Tristan Stubbs is an ideal No.5 in a T20 XI. Like Brook, Stubbs is equally capable against pace and spin and can bat at different gears, as visible last season.
His strike rate and balls-per-boundary ratio in IPL 2024 vs pace read: 180 & 4.70 and vs spin read: 198.30 & 3.57. Stubbs scored 174 runs at a strike rate of 183.15 in six outings, including a fifty, at No.5 in IPL 2024. These numbers show how dangerous he can be, and he will be a perfect batter to follow someone as skilled as Brook.
While Stubbs’ form has slipped in recent times, he’ll be a key overseas player for Delhi.
While Axar Patel is primarily a spin-hitter, he might be forced to bat at No.6 in the DC setup next season. Unfortunately, there’s no place for him in the top five, and DC will be compelled to play a few batters out of position if they accommodate Axar up in the order. However, he can still do the job at No.6 since he is not completely incapable vs pace, either. He can, however, float up the order if needed to counter spin.
He has a range of shots and can bat according to the requirement while bringing the LHB dimension to the batting lineup. Axar’s batting has improved massively, allowing the top-order batters to go harder early in their innings. He scored 235 runs at an average of 29.37 and a 131.28 strike rate in 12 innings last season, comprising two fifties.
Ashutosh Sharma was a revelation in IPL 2024 and aced the hardest role for a T20 batter in his maiden season. His top-notch boundary-hitting ability and game awareness were the biggest reasons behind his immense success. He struck at 188.04 and found the fence every 3.83 deliveries against pacers last season, taking on some of the finest bowlers in the world.
Delhi Capitals might use him as an impact player, where his role will be to provide a final flourish to the innings in the death overs. It remains to be seen whether Ashutosh is a one-season wonder or sustains consistency in the next edition, but DC have included him based on his previous heroics, and that’s the only thing in their hands. If Ashutosh can continue the same carnage this year, this Delhi Capitals lineup, which already looks promising, will get more wings.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
