Delhi Capitals, co-owned by the GMR Group and JSW Sports are one of the most entertaining teams in the Indian Premier League and enjoy a massive fanbase. Having started its journey as Delhi Daredevils, the team’s identity was changed to Delhi Capitals in December 2019. Delhi Capitals have had a journey marred with inconsistencies, despite having a star-studded squad almost every season. DC are the one of the only three teams from the maiden season that haven’t lifted the IPL championship yet. In the last few years though, the franchise has transformed itself into a powerhouse after featuring in the playoffs consistently. Today, in this article, we will find out about Delhi Capitals (DC) All Captains List From 2008 To 2024 who they have had previously and how they fared.
Delhi Capitals (DC) All Captains List From 2008 To 2024
Virender Sehwag: (2008-2012)
Virender Sehwag was the Delhi Capitals’ icon player in the IPL 2008 and he was entrusted with the captaincy duties. Delhi’s journey under the stewardship of ‘Veeru’ began strongly as they qualified for the playoffs but they could not move up to the finals as they lost in the semifinals.
The following year Virender Sehwag handed over the captaincy to Gautam Gambhir in the IPL 2009. In 2010 he was once again appointed as the skipper as Delhi had a tough run in the IPL 2010 and 2011, having finished 5th and 10th in the points table respectively. Sehwag captained the team until 2012 when they finished at the top of the points table but once again lost in the semifinals. Spanning over 52 matches in charge Veeru had an impressive winning percentage of 53.84% as he won 28 matches out of the 52 times he led his side. Also Read: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) All Captains List From 2008 To 2024
Gautam Gambhir: (2009-2010, 2018)
Gautam Gambhir has earned himself the tag of one of the best Captains in IPL history as he took Delhi Capitals to the top of the points table for the first time in IPL 2009. Nevertheless, the local boy failed to take Delhi Capitals to the final as they lost the 2nd semi final in two years.
In 2018, Gauti returned to Delhi Capitals after a successful stint with Kolkata Knight Riders. Yet, things took a bad turn as midway through the campaign, he passed the captaincy responsibilities to Shreyas Iyer after a poor string of results.
James Hopes: (2011)
James Hopes, The Australian all-rounder captained Delhi Capitals for three matches during the IPL 2011 in the absence of Virender Sehwag. Delhi Capitals lost two games under his captaincy while one game was washed out.
Ross Taylor: (2012)
The veteran Kiwi batter played for Delhi Capitals from 2012 to 2014. In his first season of 2012 he had to captain Delhi Capitals for two games as the team lost one game under him while another game was abandoned due to the bad weather. Also Read: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) All Captains List From 2008 To 2024
Mahela Jayawardene: (2012-2013)
Mahela Jayawardene, a Sri Lankan cricket legend and regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his generation was asked to step up in place of Virender Sehwag in two games during the IPL 2012 as Veeru wasn’t available. Nonetheless, when the Indian opener stepped down from the captaincy role, he was appointed the new skipper of the Delhi franchise in the IPL 2013.
Things didn’t go well for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2013 season though as they finished last at the points table, winning only four out of the sixteen games. And thereafter he was dismissed as the Captain.
David Warner: (2013, 2023)
David Warner, a prominent Australian cricketer, well-known for his aggressive left-handed batting and explosive style of play led Delhi Capitals for two matches in the IPL 2013 season when Mahela Jayawardene wasn’t available. Being the highest run-scorer in that season for Delhi didn’t reflect in his captaincy as Delhi lost both the matches under his captaincy.
Having led Sunrisers Hyderabad to its first ever IPL title in 2016, David Warner was the captain of the Delhi Capitals again for the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he took over the captaincy from Rishabh Pant, who was unavailable due to an injury. Under his leadership, the Delhi Capitals had a mixed season. They started poorly but managed to win a few crucial matches towards the end, eventually reaching the playoffs but losing to the Royal Challengers Bangalore. David Warner has a winning percentage 31.25% winning just five matches out of the sixteen he captained in. Also Read: Mumbai Indians (MI) All Captains List from 2008 to 2024
Kevin Pietersen: (2014)
The flamboyant English cricketer was handed over the captaincy in the IPL 2014. However, the move proved to be disastrous for the Delhi Capitals who won only a single game in 11 matches under his leadership. Thereafter he was sacked as the captain through the midseason.
Dinesh Karthik: (2010, 2014)
The experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik also got the opportunity to lead Delhi Capitals in 6 matches during his stint with the team. Delhi Capitals have played six matches and managed to win only two games while losing four under his leadership.
JP Duminy: (2015)
Delhi Capitals were under the cosh when they appointed the South African all-rounder JP Duminy as the next captain of the team in the IPL 2015. JP Duminy did play some impressive performances with the bat, but he couldn’t inspire the team to success as Delhi Capitals finished in 7th position at the end of the league stage.
Zaheer Khan (2016-2017)
Delhi Capitals roped in one of the greatest pace bowlers in Zaheer Khan to guide a young group of players, in the IPL 2016. The fast bowler performed well enough alongside the young players as their performance steadily improved. The veteran pacer led Delhi Capitals in 23 matches with a winning percentage of 43.47% and managed to win 10 while losing 13 games across the two seasons.
Karun Nair (2017)
Karun Nair was the Vice-Captain of the Delhi Capitals while Zaheer Khan was under entrusted with Captaincy. The Kannad led Delhi in three games as the team managed to win two matches.
Shreyas Iyer (2018-2020)
After Gautam Gambhir decided to step down from the captaincy mid-season through the IPL 2018, Shreyas Iyer was appointed Delhi Capitals’ Captain as handed over by Gautam Gambhir himself. The decision turned out to be brilliant, as it completely changed the team’s luck. After finishing at the bottom of the points table in 2018, they made it to the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons in the IPL 2019.
The following season Delhi Capitals went one step further by qualifying for the final in the IPL 2020 for the first time in their history. Having led the team in 41 matches Shreyas had a winning percentage of 53.65%, winning 21 of them.
Rishabh Pant (2021-Present)
Ahead of the IPL 2021, Rishabh Pant was appointed Delhi Capitals’ captain as Shreyas Iyer was poised to miss initial matches of the league stage due to a shoulder injury. However, after the return of Iyer, the team management chose to keep faith in Pant as the captain.
Delhi Capitals finished at the top of the points table but failed to reach the final of the IPL 2021, under his leadership. But the following season Delhi Capitals had a mixed season. Delhi Capitals narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing fifth in the points table with seven wins and seven losses in 14 matches.
Rishabh Pant will be returning as the captain of the Delhi Capitals for the IPL 2024 season, although it is not confirmed if he will be performing wicket-keeping duties for the team. As per sources he’s set to return as a batter and someone else will be assigned with the task of wicket-keeping with both the BCCI and his franchise not wanting to take any risks keeping in mind his future and the upcoming T20 World Cup in mind.