Delhi Capitals emerged as a strong team when the Indian Premier League began in 2008. They ended were the semi-finalists in the first two seasons in 2008 and 2009. But since then, they have qualified for the IPL playoffs once between the 2010 and 2018 seasons. That was the time when the franchise did a lot of chopping and changing within the team.
They also replaced and appointed a number of players as captains. A total of 12 players have led the Delhi Capitals in the 15 seasons of the Indian Premier League, which is the second most for any team. And with Rishabh Pant injured for the upcoming IPL season, we might see the 13th captain for DC.
List of Captains for Delhi Capitals
| Captain | Span | Mts | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virender Sehwag | 2008-2012 | 52 | 28 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 53.84 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 2009-2018 | 25 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 48.00 |
| Dinesh Karthik | 2010-2014 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| James Hopes | 2011-2011 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 2012-2013 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 36.11 |
| Ross Taylor | 2012-2012 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| David Warner | 2013-2013 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kevin Piertersen | 2014-2014 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 9.09 |
| JP Duminy | 2015-2016 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 40.00 |
| Zaheer Khan | 2016-2017 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 43.47 |
| Karun Nair | 2017-2017 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 2018-2020 | 41 | 21 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 53.65 |
| Rishabh Pant | 2021-2022 | 30 | 16 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 55.00 |
3. Shreyas Iyer (IPL 2018 to 2020 as DC captain)
India’s rising superstar Shreyas Iyer made his IPL debut in 2015 for Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals). And since then, he has been part of the franchise till the 2021 season. His consistency with the bat made him a good choice for the DC captaincy, and the franchise appointed him the captain of the team in the 2018 season. He became the 11th player to lead Delhi in the IPL.
However, his captaincy record for DC was pretty good, as under his leadership, DC made the playoffs in 2019 and played in the finals in the 2020 season. But he got injured in 2021, and the captaincy was handed over to Rishabh Pant. He led DC in 41 games, winning 21, losing 18, and having two games end in ties. Iyer played 87 games for DC and scored 2375 runs with 16 half-centuries.
2. Virender Sehwag (IPL 2008, 2009 to 2010, 2011 seasons)
Virender Sehwag was the first player to lead the Delhi franchise in the Indian Premier League. He led DC in 2008 season and took them to top four. You can consider Sehwag the most successful DC captain of all time. Sehwag led Delhi in four seasons (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011), and Delhi finished in the top four in three of those four seasons (2008, 2009, and 2012).
He is also the most-capped captain of the team. Under his captaincy, DC played 52 games and won 284 matches while losing 24. Sehwag played 86 games for DC in the IPL and scored 2382 runs at an average of 29.77 and a brilliant strike rate of 158.37. He also scored one century and 17 half-centuries, with a best of 119.
1. Rishabh Pant (IPL 2021 – onwards)
India’s possible future captain, Rishabh Pant, experienced captaincy in the IPL when Shreyas Iyer got injured in the 2020 season. He captained a few games in 2020 but then became the full-time captain in 2021. Pant made his IPL debut in 2016 for Delhi, and since then, he has been part of the franchise. He led DC to the playoffs in his very first season as captain in 2021.
The wicketkeeper batter will not feature in the upcoming IPL season in 2023 after suffering a horrific car accident. But overall, Pant is certainly a long-term captain for the franchise. Pant has led DC in 30 games so far and won 16, lost 13, and tied one. He is also the leading run scorer for the franchise, with 2838 runs in 98 games.