Delhi Capitals, formerly known as the “Delhi Daredevils,” have not had the desired performance in the Indian Premier League since the beginning. They have yet to open their account in the tournament after winning the IPL. In 18 IPL seasons, DC have played the final once, in 2020, but lost it to the Mumbai Indians.
Apart from that, they have appeared in five playoffs (two semi-finals) in the history of the league. But until now, they haven’t gotten their hands on the trophy. The franchise is eager to win their first title, and it will be interesting to see whether they can end their trophy drought in the coming season or not. However, in this article, we will discuss DC’s playoff appearances thus far and their journey.
How many times DC qualified for Playoffs
| Season | Group standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4th out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2009 | 1st out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2012 | 1st out of 9 | Playoffs |
| 2019 | 3rd out of 8 | Playoffs |
| 2020 | 2nd out of 8 | Runners up |
| 2021 | 1st out of 8 | Playoffs |
1. 2008 Season – Playoffs (semi-final)
The inaugural IPL season had eight teams in the competition. And out of those 8, DC made it to the semi-finals of that season. They won seven out of 14 games to finish the group stage in fourth place. But they lost their semi-final against Rajasthan Royals by 105 runs, who went on to win the tournament.
2. 2009 Season – Playoffs (semi-final)
DC made it to their second successive semi-final in the second IPL season in 2009 as well, which was played in South Africa. DC were the table-toppers in the group stage with 10 wins out of 14 games. But they lost the all-important semi-final against the Deccan Chargers by six wickets. As a result, they ended that season in third place.
3. 2012 Season – Playoffs
After 2009, Delhi played their next playoff match in the 2012 season. This season, they ended as table-toppers with 11 wins out of 16 games in the group stage. But they failed to maintain the same performance in the playoff stage. First, they lost Qualifier 1 to KKR by 18 runs. Then, they also lost Qualifier 2 to CSK by 86 runs, which ended their tournament.
4. 2019 Season – Playoffs
After IPL 2012, it took DC seven seasons to qualify for their next playoff stage. They did it next in 2019, when they ended third in the group with nine wins out of 14. In fact, MI and CSK were the top two with the same number of wins, but they had a better NRR. DC faced SRH in Eliminator and won that game by two wickets to make it to Qualifier 1. But their journey ended there itself, as they lost that game against CSK by six wickets.
5. 2020 Season – Runners-up
Delhi improved their performance in the next season in 2020. Firstly, they finished the group in second place, winning 8 games out of 14. But then they lost Qualifier 1 to MI and played Qualifier 2 against SRH. They registered a 17-run win against SRH to advance to the IPL final. DC faced MI in the final and lost that game by five wickets to end as runners-up. It was their fourth loss against MI in the same tournament.
6. 2021 Season – Playoffs
After playing in the IPL 2020 final, DC looked good in the 2021 season as well. Delhi finished the group as the best team with 10 wins out of 14 games and qualified for the playoff stage. But they were unlucky and lost both Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2 at the hands of CSK and KKR. As a result, they couldn’t reach the final even after finishing the group at the top.