Delhi Capitals (DC) IPL jerseys over the years

Delhi Capitals (DC, formerly Delhi Daredevils or DD) are one of the three teams to have never won the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy despite playing all 16 seasons. The Delhi-based franchise has always had several superstars of world cricket in its armoury. However, the maximum distance they traveled was till the final in 2020, under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer.

Over the years, the franchise has tried different captains and even changed their name ahead of the 2019 season. Their fortunes saw some change but still failed to win the coveted title. With Rishabh Pant all set to lead the team again in the upcoming 2024 edition, fans are hoping to enjoy a successful campaign.

Like all other IPL teams, Delhi have made some changes to their jerseys since the inaugural edition in 2008, but they still stick to the usual mix of blue and red colours. Without further ado,

Let's take a look at the evolution of the Delhi Capitals jersey over the past 16 years:

2008

In 2008 IPL alone Delhi Daredevils (DC) had a black and red kit. Adidas, a renowned athleisure brand, was their kit manufacturer for the first six seasons and also did the chest branding for the inaugural edition. The left side of the chest featured the Daredevils logo, which was shown in red as the primary shade with flames coming out of a cricket ball.

Hero Honda, former automobile joint venture, was Delhi’s premier shirt sponsor (front) for the first three IPL editions. Religare, a core investment company, featured on the back of the jersey along with the player's name and number written in red. The team was led by former India opener Virender Sehwag and they finished as semi-finalists after losing to Rajasthan Royals (RR) by a massive 105 runs.

2009

For the second edition of the cash-rich league, northern franchise made significant changes to its leadership panel. Local lad Gautam Gambhir took over the captaincy reigns from his opening partner. However, there was no change in fortunes, as the team could not clinch the prized title. However, a changed jersey was definitely up for display during this season.

With oxford blue replacing black, a new red and blue color theme marked their way forward. White stripes also replaced black from their 2008 kit to give DC players a fresh look in the 2009 edition. While Jetking, India's leading IT training institute, took over the shirt sponsorship of the back side, the chest branding was done by Indian multinational conglomerate GMR.

2010

There were no changes in the colour pattern of their kits, but Adidas has made some changes in the designs ahead of the third IPL edition. While the white stripes on the shoulders were kept intact, the red portion on both arms was brought to the bottom of the shirt.

The 2010 season marked Hero Honda's final stint as the main jersey sponsor. Meanwhile, Idea and Panasonic embarked on the journey as back and chest sponsors respectively for the following four seasons. Sehwag was back in the leadership role, but this time DC could not enter the playoffs as they finished fifth in the points table.

2011

Adidas introduced a few design tweaks and colour to the jersey ahead of the 2011 season. The blue color of the shirt collar and red colour portion on the arms were brought back from the 2009 edition. Moreover, they brightened up the dominant blue and added a diagonal red design at the bottom.

From this season, multi-faceted business conglomerate Muthoot Group has taken control of the main jersey sponsors, replacing Hero Honda. It was one of the worst seasons in DC's history, finishing at the bottom of the table after a string of dismal performances.

2012

Kit manufactures, shirt sponsors, colour and design, everything remained the same in the 2012 season, but the cricket fraternity witnessed a significant change in DC's performance. The franchise bolstered their unit with the acquisition of some of the legends of the game like Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene, and Ross Taylor.

The Sri Lanka national was given the captaincy baton after Sehwag stepped down from the role. It was a repeat of the 2009 season for DC, where they stood first in the Pool Table after the completion of the league stage. However, they lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 2.

2013

Adidas' final collaboration with the Delhi franchise saw them bring some notable changes to the jersey. With blue occupying 90% of the space, the importance of red had diminished. The white strips on the yoke were replaced with red, and the bottom hem was also given red. The player's name and jersey number were printed in white.

Instead of going with a full collar shirt, a Chinese model was used in the 2013 jersey. Muthoot Group, Idea and Panasonic continued their sponsorship role. Meanwhile, this season marked the beginning of DC's six consecutive years of poor performances in the annual tournament. After a successful outing in the 2012 edition, they never made it into the top five of the table.

2014

Delhi Daredevils unveiled their brand new jersey for the seventh edition of the tournament in the presence of new skipper Kevin Pietersen, vice-captain Dinesh Karthik and coach Gary Kirsten. With Flying Machine as their kit partner. The side tied up with Quikr, for the main jersey sponsorship. While Idea remained the back-side jersey sponsor, JustDial replaced Panasonic in chest branding. 

In the new jersey design, the dominant blue shades were brighter and the red took up more space compared to the previous season. While some shades of yellow were introduced, a white border is provided diagonally to separate the red and blue in the front. 

2015

Although they kept the design pattern all the same as the previous season, the contrast of blue was intensified in the 2015 jersey. Meanwhile, air-conditioners maker Daikin agreed to a five-year deal with Delhi, replacing the position with Quikr.

Innerwear maker Lux ​​Cozi took over the jersey sponsorship for the back side, while kit makers Flying Machine carried out the chest branding for the 2015 edition. Former South Africa all-rounder JP Duminy was given the lead role this time around but only to mark another poor season, finishing seventh on the table.

2016

Shiv Naresh came on board to manufacture the kit for the next two seasons but they did not make any changes to the jersey on their debut. While Daikin remained the main jersey sponsor, sponsorship for the back side was taken over by Manforce, a contraceptive brand, and smartphone company Karbonn did the rear branding.

Another change in DC's captaincy with former India pacer Zaheer Khan appointed to lead the team. However, that did not bring any significant improvement in their game as the team finished sixth in the standings, as their poor run in the tournament remained unimproved. 

2017

A minor change was made to the jersey for the 2017 edition. The yellow shades were retained on the shirt collar, but the colour was omitted from the bottom body front part. The only change in sponsorship was Jio replacing Karbonn for the chest branding.

Zaheer Khan led the team for the second season in a row and the result was similar - DC finished sixth on the table. The franchise received fierce criticism from fans due to their string of poor performances, and the name became synonymous with great cries and little wool.

2018

2018 happened to be the last season for the team as Daredevils. And just like every year, the form factor of the jersey remained the same, while the primary shades were also unchanged. The new kit makers T10 sports replaced the white shade that separates the red and blue colours on the body front part with a yellow border. The red space on the body was reduced, but the left arm was completely filled with primary colour. 

NatureFresh, an FMCG brand, and motorcycle brand Suzuki replaced Manforce and Jio as back-side and chest-side jersey sponsorship, respectively. Former India opener Gambhir was brought back into the team and appointed as their skipper for the 2018 season. He also had the guidance of legendary Ricky Ponting, who took on the role of head coach. Despite all this, DC suffered another embarrassing outing and finished bottom of the table.

2019

In IPL 2019, the franchise played their first season under the name Delhi Capitals. Along with the new name and the logo, they also brought significant changes to the jersey design. Aiming to give a cool touch, the designers added dark and light shades of blue. Both the arms were designed in dark blue and the entire body front part was designed in light blue. The collars and stripes on the bottom sleeves had a touch of red. SqadGear was their kit manufacturer, with APL Apollo and Lotus Herbals branding on the back of the jersey and chest.

Interestingly, the new changes seemed to have brought about some change in their fortunes as well. Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, DC managed to enter the playoffs of the IPL for the first time after six years. They finished the league stage as the third-ranked team but lost to CSK in Qualifier 2.

2020

Ahead of the 13th edition of the IPL, DC made heavy amendments to their jersey designs. A trace of ferocious tiger in the team logo, which symbolises the hungry-to-win attitude, was added in the background of the body front part. The jersey also had stipes that resembled the tiger's body pattern. Keeping blue as their primary color, the idea of ​​dark blue and light blue shades was dropped and the red collar was replaced with blue.

JSW, an Indian multinational conglomerate, signed up a four-year contract for the main jersey sponsorship from 2020 season. While APL Apollo swapped the role to chest branding, EbixCash sponsored jersey’s back side. This was DC’s dream season as they managed to enter the IPL finals for the first time in their history.

2021

Blue once again dominated the jersey, but with a little more contrast than the previous one. Red tiger claws were added to the sides to depict the team's hunger and passion for success. Indian clothing brand Wrogn won the kit manufacturing rights for the next three years. Meanwhile, JSW, EbixCash and APL Apollo continued as jersey sponsors.

DC had their third consecutive best performance in the league. Shreyas Iyer's injury forced the management to give Rishabh Pant the leadership role and he did well. The side finished the league stage as table toppers but had to settle as semi-finalists after losing to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Qualifier 2.

 2022

Delhi team entered the 2022 season with some notable changes to their jersey. The franchise decided to add more red to the jersey and the designers gave it a cool look with a perfect blend to blue on the body front. Moreover, the tiger in the background was bigger.

While JSW and APL Apollo continued their sponsorship role, Octa replaced EbixCash as sponsor for jersey’s back side. After having a tremendous three season on a trot, Delhi failed to enter the playoffs this time around. Their campaign ended at the league stage after finishing fifth in the points table.

2023

DC unveiled a brand new kit ahead of the 2023 season. They kept red and blue as the dominant colours but made some changes in shades and designs. Both sleeves and the collar of the shirt were red, and the size and brightness of the lion on the body front was reduced. DP World and Greenpanel took over the role of branding the jersey's back and chest, respectively.

After Rishabh Pant's unfortunate car accident kept him away from the game, league's most successful foreign batter David Warner was designated as the skipper. The Aussie had enjoyed success with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2016 season but failed to replicate that with DC.

Notably, starting in the 2020 season, DC have been wearing a special rainbow-themed kit for one match. By wearing a colorful jersey, the franchise aims to celebrate the nation's diversity.

2024