With wheels falling off, Delhi Capitals back in familiar IPL blackhole again

When Delhi Capitals began their IPL 2025 campaign, it felt like they were scripting a season to remember — a narrative built on high hopes, bold performances, and the belief that this could finally be their year. The first four matches? Flawless. Unbeaten. Unbothered. They looked like a team in complete control of their destiny.

But the 10-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans at Kotla confirmed that DC's control has slowly slipped away. The tone has shifted. Momentum has disappeared. From title contenders, they’ve tumbled into a chaotic mid-table scramble, managing just two wins in their last six games — one of them via a Super Over.

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The early confidence has been replaced by a desperate search for answers. Now they have to win their two remaining league stage matches with healthy run rates and hope other results go their way to enter into the top four.

At the center of their familiar season collapse, lies a misfiring top order, muddled tactical decisions, and a baffling misuse of personnel.

THE FLYING START

Few teams hit the ground running like Delhi Capitals. Their opening fortnight was as close to perfect as it gets. Four wins in four games. Ashutosh Sharma delivering fireworks at the death. Mitchell Starc proving lethal at the back end of innings. Even though cracks in the batting were visible, the team kept finding ways to win.

Those wins weren’t built on a solid strategy. They were thrilling, unpredictable, and mostly carried by individual brilliance. There was no tactical blueprint, but there was belief, and most importantly, points on the board. And for a while, that was enough.

TOP-ORDER TRIALS AND ERRORS

Jake Fraser-McGurk struggled to perform in IPL 2025. Courtesy: PTI

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As the season progresses towards the business end, Delhi Capitals' top order has become their biggest liability. Across 10 games, they experimented with seven different opening combinations — the highest of any team this season. Their most productive pairing, Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk, averaged just 30.7 at a strike rate of 131.4 — numbers that simply don’t cut it in a league increasingly defined by explosive powerplay starts.

Abishek Porel sparked early promise but failed to build on it. His innings against GT, where he flickered briefly before a soft dismissal, summed up his campaign in miniature. Fraser-McGurk arrived with a reputation for aggressive batting but hasn’t lived up to it. Faf du Plessis managed a composed fifty against KKR, but his recent returns — 2, 22, 29 and 5— suggest a batter out of sync with his timing.

Karun Nair struggled to make an impact worth remembering after the breakout 89-run knock against Mumbai Indians. The entire top order turned into a carousel of uncertainty — no stability, no momentum. There was no one to anchor the innings, no one to accelerate meaningfully. More often than not, it ended with a top-edge to point or a mistimed hoick to deep midwicket.

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Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans have showcased exactly what Delhi have lacked. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have forged the tournament’s most consistent opening partnership, stringing together seven 50-plus stands, including a century stand. That kind of reliability and clarity at the top has been missing from DC’s campaign all season.

AXAR PATEL AND THE CAPTAINCY VOID

Axar Patel has long been admired for his calm demeanour. But in his first season as full-time captain, that very calmness has started to look like a liability. In the IPL, composure alone isn’t enough — what you need is intent, bold decisions, and tactical clarity.

So far, Axar has struggled to put a clear strategic stamp on this team. Delhi’s early wins were more a product of individual brilliance than any evident game plan. As matches have tightened and margins have grown smaller, his hesitation has become more noticeable. Delayed bowling changes, inflexible batting orders, questionable field placements, and a failure to seize key moments have cost DC dearly.

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UNDERUSED AND UNDERWHELMED: THE STUBBS CONUNDRUM

Tristan Stubbs has been shuffled across the DC batting lineup. Courtesy: PTI

Tristan Stubbs has been Delhi Capitals' most underused asset - and arguably their biggest misstep this season.

Back in IPL 2024, Stubbs was a revelation. He dominated the death overs, piling up 252 runs at a staggering strike rate of 262.5. A consistent, fearless finisher, he was the kind of player most teams would centre their middle order around.

But in 2025, he's been pushed to the margins. Shunted down the order to No. 5, 6, even 7 - often walking in too late to make any real impact. In some games, he didn't feature at all. For a batter who was striking at over 168 in the SA20 earlier this year, the lack of opportunity is simply baffling.

Nobody can explain why Axar Patel bats at No.4 while Stubbs struggles for gametime. In a team lacking middle-order muscle, Stubbs could've been the solution at No. 3 or 4. Instead, he's been a forgotten figure.

SELECTION SHUFFLES AND THE RAHUL-POREL SPLIT

It’s not just the openers. The revolving door extended to the rest of the batting order. KL Rahul and Porel had put together 324 partnership runs across just seven innings, with four 50+ stands — and yet, not once they have been used as openers by the DC management this season.

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Mind you, neither batter has looked comfortable as opener, and none of the new combinations have worked. Looking back, the decision is as confusing as it is costly.

Faf, brought in as a backup, ended up as a frontline pick. With Harry Brook pulling out, DC could’ve turned to a dynamic young option like Dewald Brevis — a player with intent and upside. Instead, they leaned on experience, and it hasn’t paid off.

ONE-MAN ATTACK: THE STARC BURDEN

Mitchell Starc has taken 14 wickets from 10 matches in the IPL. Courtesy: PTI

Mitchell Starc carried Delhi’s bowling attack on his shoulders. 14 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 26.14. A five-wicket haul. A three-for against KKR. Every time DC looked threatening with the ball, it was Starc. And now DC don't have the services of Starc for the final leg of the tournament.

The rest of the attack has been a letdown.

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Mukesh Kumar has nine wickets, but leaks runs at nearly 10 an over. Chameera has played only three matches. Mohit Sharma? Two wickets in seven games. Not the returns DC needed.

The spin trio of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Vipraj Nigam have vanished in the second half of the tournament. They’re leaking runs and picking up nothing.

Since the second match against LSG — maybe earlier — it’s felt like the bowlers are more focused on damage control than on taking wickets. That mindset shift has cost them.

They’ve tried every possible combination in the powerplay: Axar bowling three overs, sometimes none; no spinners at all; Chameera starting; Starc bowling three overs once, only one over another time; even trying Natarajan early. Nothing has worked. DC keep getting hit. They keep failing to strike early.

Axar still holds the best economy among spinners in the powerplay (around 8.5). Mukesh leads amongst pacers — also 8.5. That’s the best they’ve got.

Kuldeep Yadav bowled like a man trying to plug a dam with chewing gum. No support. No help. Chameera, Mukesh, and everyone else? A masterclass in mediocrity.

And don’t even get started on the death overs.

MANAGEMENT AT FAULT?

Why did DC wait two months to replace Harry Brook — and in the process, miss out on dynamic talents like Dewald Brevis? The replacement could have been signed well before the tournament even began. Instead, they dragged their feet while other teams moved swiftly. CSK snapped up Brevis and Ayush Mhatre, PBKS picked Mitchell Owen, and RR brought in Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Delhi? They waited until DC lost their momentum — and finally brought in Sediqullah Atal, only to not play him at all.

And for what? Imagine a finishing duo of Stubbs and Brevis. That could’ve changed games. But instead, the management clung to Rs 6 crore as if hoarding cash was the goal.

No foresight. No structure. Just panic moves and a whole lot of vibes.

FIELDING: AN ABSOLUTE DISASTER

Delhi Capitals have struggled with their fielding in IPL 2025. Courtesy: PTI

Fielding? Nothing short of a disaster. Catches were dropped like the ball was laced with poison. Routine stops turned into runs, and overthrows were handed out like freebies at a festival. It wasn’t just sloppy — it was demoralising.

And the body language told its own story. Heads down, shoulders slumped, energy non-existent. Halfway through most first innings, DC already looked like a team that had mentally checked out.

Watching them in the field felt like watching a blooper reel curated by someone with a vendetta — a highlight package of how not to play cricket.

Then came the no-balls — momentum-killers of the worst kind. Just when DC built some pressure, someone would overstep, handing the opposition a lifeline and undoing all the hard work in a split second.

These weren’t isolated mistakes. They were costly, repeated blunders. It’s one thing to be outclassed. But Delhi’s undoing came from within — a team that couldn’t stop tripping over itself, game after game.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: THE TIGHTROPE WALK

Delhi Capitals are in a tricky position in IPL 2025. Courtesy: PTI

Somehow, Delhi Capitals are still alive in the playoff race — but just barely. The road ahead is as narrow as it gets.

They face Mumbai Indians on May 21, followed by Punjab Kings on May 24. Win both, and they’ll qualify — the net run rate won’t matter.

But a loss to Mumbai ends the story. MI would move to 16 points, a total Delhi can no longer reach. If DC beat Mumbai but slip up against Punjab, they’ll be left hoping for favorable results elsewhere, with their fate depending on how Mumbai and Lucknow finish.

There’s no more room for mistakes. One more stumble and a season that began with genuine hope will collapse into yet another all-too-familiar disappointment.

Published By: sabyasachi chowdhury Published On: May 20, 2025

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