All-time best XI of Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL

While we have seen teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings assert their dominance in both the IPL and the CLT20 during the last decade, there have been three teams that have never had the chance to lift the IPL trophy i.e RCB, DC and KXIP. Delhi Capitals are yet to feature in an IPL final, let alone winning the IPL. They have been the perennial underdogs of the IPL.

Unlike Kings XI Punjab or Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals have actually had some very strong players in their side over the years but its their bad decisions which is holding them back from winning a title. In 2008, they had the chance to sign Virat Kohli as the U-19 player but they opted for Pradeep Sangwan instead. The Delhi-based outfit have let go of T20 heavyweights such as AB De Villiers, David Warner, Andre Russell and Glenn Maxwell.

A feature in most of their squads over the years is the reliance on Indian batsmen. Rahul Dravid, and most recently, Ricky Ponting have managed to instill a lot of confidence in their young players such as Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. They finished as table toppers in 2009 and 2012, but have made the playoffs on four occasions only. Delhi Daredevils also hold the unfortunate record of finishing rock bottom of the table four times!

Virender Sehwag was selected as their icon player for the inaugural edition of the IPL and a lot of local boys like Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant have gone on to play for the Delhi franchise. They followed the footsteps of Rising Pune Supergiant and changed their team name from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals in 2018 and found immediate success by finishing in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Let us take a look at DC’s all-time XI:

1. Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag is an obvious selection in this team. The former Delhi captain parted ways with the team in 2013 but remains their top scorer till now. The flamboyant opener played for Delhi Capitals from 2008 to 2013 and scored a total of 2382 runs in 86 matches during that period, which is 500 more than any other player. He was the man who symbolised ‘Delhi’, and was deservedly chosen as the captain and icon player in 2008.

He powered the team into the semi finals of the first two seasons of the IPL. He scored a magnificent 56-ball 119 against Deccan Chargers in 2011. He scored his runs for Delhi Capitals at an average of 29.77 but it was his strike rate of 158.37 that set him apart from his peers. Viru scored more than 400 runs in 3 of the 6 seasons that he played for Delhi Capitals.

He also holds the record of the most 50+ scores for the Delhi franchise, with 16 such knocks to his name. After the 2013 campaign, the Nawab of Najafgarh joined Kings XI Punjab for a two year stint. He scored 455 runs in his first season for the Kings XI Punjab in 2014 which included a century but he will always be known for his time with his local side.