Delhi Capitals (DC) have been a team most of the time considered unpredictable or at least inconsistent in the IPL. The main factor that has greatly influenced this was the changeable leadership.
The franchise has seen a lot of different players captaining the team, whether it was a full-time or part-time role. However, this hasn’t been of much help, as the trophy is still not in their collection.
In this piece, we are going to examine the captains of the Delhi Capitals during IPL history.
List of captains for Delhi Capitals in IPL history 2026
1. Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag was the icon player for Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils). So it seemed normal that he would lead the team to its first IPL 2008.
The hard-hitting Indian opener’s leadership gave the Capitals a good beginning in 2008. But, they had to struggle in the middle while at the same time bouncing back in time to make it to the semi-finals.
The next season, DC was even better prepared. They came out on top in the table to make it to the semi-finals for the second time in a row. But Sehwag couldn’t guide the team to the final.
He did not play during the entire 2010 season but came back to lead in 2011 and 2012. 2011 was not a great season for DC but they reached Qualifier 2 in 2012.
Altogether, Sehwag’s time was a great benefit for DC. Even though he was unable to claim the trophy, Delhi won 28 out of the 52 matches played under his leadership.
2. Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir took over when Sehwag was out for the season in 2010. He captained Delhi for a few matches in 2009, but this was the first time he was leading the team in a full-time role.
Gambhir had a kind of mixed bag season in 2010. DC missed a place in the knockout stage for the third consecutive year by just one match.
The left-handed batsman then went to lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, Gambhir again came back to lead Delhi once more.
The comeback did not go the way he would have liked it to go. Delhi managed to secure only one win in the first six matches. Therefore, Gambhir resigned from the position in the middle of the season.
As a whole, the former Indian opener was in charge for 21 matches, with 10 victories to his credit.
3. Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik was the deputy captain of DC for two seasons. He first substituted Gambhir in the year 2010. Karthik was the captain for the team in three matches, with one victory only.
DC released Karthik after the 2010 season, however, he again joined the team in 2014. Now, he very quickly took up the role of captain in the absence of Kevin Pietersen.
The result turned out to be the same this time too – three matches and one victory. Karthik led DC for six matches and also won two of them.
4. James Hopes
DC continued their attraction with stand-in captains in 2011. James Hopes took over for three matches in Sehwag’s absence.
Hopes could not help as Delhi went through a bad season. His team lost in two matches, while one match was abandoned.
5. Mahela Jayawardene
After Sehwag’s resignation, Delhi hired Mahela Jayawardene as their third full-time captain in 2013. The change of captains did not go well with DC.
They had one of their worst seasons, perhaps. Delhi could win just three games, while they had to lose 13 games. This also included two losing streaks of six matches each!
6. David Warner
David Warner had come to DC before his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2013, the Australian batter took the place of Jayawardene in two games.
DC lost both games, but a decade later he got the charge full-time. It was a forced change due to Rishabh Pant’s car accident.
Though Warner’s captaincy didn’t work out, he still managed to win five games for DC. He captained Delhi for a total of 16 matches.
7. Kevin Pietersen
After a dreadful 2013 season, DC hired Kevin Pietersen as their fourth full-time captain. He missed three matches in the beginning, but KP could not make a significant change.
He was in charge of DC for 11 games with just one win to show for it. Delhi ended the season in last place on the points table.
8. JP Duminy
Another year; another captain change. In 2015, DC appointed JP Duminy as the captain.
Things got slightly better, but the road still was not easy. Duminy led the team to five wins out of 14 matches in 2015. This was the end of his captaincy, though he did fill in for Zaheer Khan for two matches in 2016.
9. Zaheer Khan
Unlike the previous three captains, Zaheer Khan was extended a little longer stay. And there was a good reason for that.
The ex-Indian paceman had a mixed season in 2016. Delhi’s start was fantastic with five wins in the first seven matches. But the second part was a complete disaster with only two wins.
DC came back the next season, but it was again an average one. Khan was coaching in 11 matches and managed to win only four of them.
10. Karun Nair
Khan was out of the team for three games during the year 2017. Hence Karun Nair took his place. He navigated DC to two victories after breaking the losing streak of five matches.
11. Shreyas Iyer
During the 2018 season, Gambhir gave the captaincy to Shreyas Iyer. This shift in the captaincy was a real boost to DC.
It was a big challenge for Iyer to turn around the team’s fortunes after a dismal first half. He managed to do so in a way but it wasn’t enough to lift the team from the last position in the points table.
However, under Iyer’s guidance, the team did well in 2019. They reached the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Iyer’s leadership abilities were confirmed, although DC could not reach the final.
In the following season, Iyer was all set. This time he led the team to their first IPL final ever. Unfortunately, the team could not break the final barrier.
Iyer was gearing up for another season but he got ruled out due to a shoulder injury. This led to DC naming Rishabh Pant as the new skipper.
Iyer did come back in the second half but the team continued with Pant as captain. Iyer led the team in 41 matches with 21 wins.
12. Rishabh Pant
Pant was given Iyer’s place in the captaincy role for the year 2021. There was a general consensus that it was just for one season.
However, Pant made a DC triplet of playoffs through his captaincy. Thus, DC kept Rishabh Pant in charge for the 2022 season.
The side could only match the 2021 result to a small extent. They had a bumpy ride, with 7 wins and 7 defeats.
Then Pant was out for the 2023 season, but he was back in 2024. The year 2024 was no different as Delhi ended up in the sixth position again.
The two uneven seasons resulted in DC parting ways with Pant before the 2025 edition. He ended with a record of 23 wins in 43 matches.
Read Also:- Kolkata Knight Riders IPL Captains List
13. Axar Patel
With Pant’s exit, DC looked for a new leader in 2025. There were several candidates in the mix, and the management finally decided on Axar Patel. He was the league’s 10th captain, and the franchise’s one.
