DC All Captains List: How Many Players Have Captained Delhi Capitals in IPL?

Delhi Capitals are one of the most entertaining teams in the Indian Premier League and enjoy a massive fanbase. Co-owned by the GMR Group and JSW Sports, the franchise started its journey as Delhi Daredevils. However, the team’s identity was changed to Delhi Capitals in December 2019.

Despite having a star-studded squad almost every season, Delhi Capitals have had a journey marred with inconsistencies. They are one of only three teams from the inaugural season that haven’t lifted the IPL championship yet. However, in the last few years, the franchise has transformed itself into a powerhouse after featuring in the playoffs consistently.

In this post, we will discuss every player who enjoyed the privilege to lead the Delhi Capitals across the 15 editions of the Indian Premier League.

In this article, we will take a look at DC’s all-captains in IPL history:

Virender Sehwag (2008-2012)

The destructive opener was Delhi Daredevils’ icon player in the IPL 2008 and he also was given the captaincy duties. The franchise began their journey strongly as they qualified for the playoffs. However, they could not reach the summit clash after reaching the semifinal game.

Virender Sehwag handed over the captaincy to Gautam Gambhir in the IPL 2009 but was once again appointed as the skipper in 2010. The Delhi-based franchise had a tough run in the IPL 2010 and 2011, where they finished 5th and 10th in the points table. Sehwag remained the team’s captain till 2012 when they finished at the top of the points table but lost the semifinal once again.

Gautam Gambhir (2009-2010 & 2018)

The left-handed batter has earned himself the tag of one of the best skippers in IPL history. Gambhir led Delhi Capitals for the first time in IPL 2009 and the franchise finished at the top of the points table. However, he failed to take the team to the final as they lost the 2nd semifinal in two years.

In 2018, Gautam Gambhir returned to the franchise after a successful stint with Kolkata Knight Riders. However, things didn’t work as per plan and he passed the captaincy baton to Shreyas Iyer midway through the campaign after a poor string of results.

James Hopes (2011)

The Australian all-rounder James Hopes captained Delhi Capitals for three matches during the IPL 2011. He was given the chance to lead the team in the absence of Virender Sehwag. Delhi Capitals lost two games under his captaincy while one game was washed out.

Ross Taylor (2012)

The hard-hitting Kiwi batter captained Delhi Capitals in two matches during the IPL 2012. The team lost one game under Ross Taylor while one game was abandoned due to the bad weather.

Mahela Jayawardene (2012-2013)

The legendary Sri Lankan batter got the opportunity to lead Delhi Capitals in two games during the IPL 2012 as Virender Sehwag wasn’t available. However, he was appointed the new skipper of the franchise in the IPL 2013 after the Indian opener stepped down from the captaincy role.

Things went downhill for the Delhi-based franchise in the IPL 2013 as they finished at the bottom of the points table after winning only 4 out of 16 games that season. Subsequently, the Sri Lankan great was axed as the skipper.

David Warner (2013)

The left-handed explosive opener from Australia led Delhi Capitals in two matches during the horrible run in the IPL 2013. David Warner was the highest run-getter for Delhi Capitals during that season but he failed to guide his team to a victory during those two matches.

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Kevin Pietersen (2014)

The swashbuckling batter from England was handed over the captaincy to Kevin Pietersen in the IPL 2014. However, the move proved to be a terrible one for the franchise as Delhi Capitals won only a single game in 14 matches under his leadership. He subsequently was sacked as the captain through the midseason.

Dinesh Karthik (2010-2014)

The veteran wicketkeeper batter got the chance to lead Delhi Capitals in 6 matches during his stint with the Delhi-based franchise. Under Dinesh Karthik’s leadership, Delhi Capitals have played six matches and managed to win only two games while losing four.

JP Duminy (2015-2016)

Delhi Capitals were under the pump when they appointed the South African all-rounder JP Duminy as the next skipper of the team in the IPL 2015. While he played some wonderful knocks with his willow, he failed to uplift the team. Delhi Capitals finished at the 7th position after the conclusion of the league stage.

Zaheer Khan (2016-2017)

To guide a young group of players, Delhi Capitals roped in one of the greatest pace bowlers in Zaheer Khan in the IPL 2016. The pacer did a decent job alongside the youngsters as their performance gradually improved.

Across the two seasons, the veteran pacer led Delhi Capitals in 23 matches and managed to win 10 while losing 13 games. Under his leadership, the franchise finished 6th for the two consecutive seasons.

Karun Nair (2017)

Karun Nair was Zaheer Khan’s deputy during the IPL 2017 and he got the chance to lead the team in three games. Delhi Capitals won two matches and lost one out of those games.

Shreyas Iyer (2018-2020)

Shreyas Iyer was appointed Delhi Capitals’ skipper after Gautam Gambhir decided to step down from the captaincy mid-season through the IPL 2018. The move proved to be a masterstroke as it changed the fortunes of the franchise. While they finished at the bottom of the points table in 2018, they qualified for the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons in the IPL 2019.

Delhi Capitals went one step further the next season by qualifying for the final in the IPL 2020 for the first time in their history. Shreyas Iyer led the team in 41 matches, winning 21 and losing 18 of them.

Rishabh Pant (2021-Present)

Rishabh Pant was appointed Delhi Capitals’ skipper ahead of the IPL 2021 as Shreyas Iyer was set to miss initial matches due to a shoulder injury. However, once Iyer returned, the team management didn’t remove Pant as the captain. Under his leadership, Delhi Capitals finished at the top of the points table but failed to reach the final of the IPL 2021.

In IPL 2022, the team endured a hot and cold season. Delhi Capitals missed the playoffs spot by a whisker as they finished fifth in the points table with seven wins and seven losses in 14 matches.

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