3 most successful captains of Delhi Capitals history

Delhi Capitals, formerly Delhi Daredevils, is one of the IPL’s founding teams and one of the most experienced teams, but they are yet to win the title. With a top-notch squad and millions of fans behind them, Delhi Capitals is always looking to make their mark during the tournament and have had their moments. On six occasions, they made it to the playoffs, and once they reached the final.

Any team’s captain plays an important role, but there are also several important factors to consider. As part of the team’s quest for glory, the Delhi Capitals have experimented with different options. So, in this article, we will rate the 3 most successful captains in Delhi Capitals’ history.

1.    Shreyas Iyer

The Delhi Capitals was led by Shreyas Iyer as captain in 2018 after Gautam Gambhir stepped down. Iyer made his debut for the Delhi Capitals in 2015 and has been an integral member of their franchise since then. The player served the team well during his tenure before being released in 2021. He led the Delhi-based franchise in 41 matches and has a good winning record of 53.65 percent. Iyer won 21 matches as captain. He also performed well as a batter, scoring 2375 runs for the franchise at an average of 32 and a decent strike rate of 124.

Under Iyer’s leadership, the Delhi Capitals reached the playoffs twice and finished third in the tournament. In 2020, they reached the finals for the first time in their history under Iyer’s captaincy.

2. Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was one of the most destructive openers of his time. He was known for his aggressive batting and captaincy style. Sehwag captained Delhi Daredevils from 2008 to 2012 and led the team to the semi-finals twice in 2008 and 2009. As a leader, he never wavered from his instincts and always backed up his decisions.

He was crucial with his bat in IPL too as he scored 2728 runs in 104 innings at an average of 28 and a blistering strike rate of 155. He won 28 matches for Delhi Capitals as a captain and has played the most matches as a captain (52).

3. Rishabh Pant

Since his debut in 2016, the left-handed wicketkeeper batter, Rishabh Pant has been a match-winner for the Delhi Capitals. He is regarded as one of the most promising players for the Delhi-based franchise. In 97 innings of his IPL career, he has scored 2838 runs at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 148.

With Iyer out of the first leg of the 2021 IPL, Pant was given the role to lead the Capitals and he did fairly well in the first half. Therefore, even after Iyer returned in the second leg, the management continued to back Pant as captain. As captain of the side, Pant has a decent record. He has won 16 of 30 matches and has the high winning percentage among other captains, even though he has led the side in fewer matches.