DC All Captains List: How many players have captained Delhi Capitals in IPL History

Delhi Capitals is amongst the most popular franchises of IPL, having had many captains in the past. Despite playing every season on the marquee, the team is yet to win its first title. From 2013 to 2017, the franchise went through a rough patch in terms of its performance. Formerly named the Delhi Daredevils, the franchise rebranded itself as the Delhi Capitals in December 2019. Presently led by the flamboyant wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, DC are ready to roar once again in IPL. Let’s take a look at the list of all the captains who have led the Delhi Capitals franchise in the history of IPL.

1. Virender Sehwag

One of India’s all-time greatest openers, Virender Sehwag, was an iconic player of Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural edition of the IPL. The Nawab of Najafgarh was roped in to lead the Daredevils. Under Sehwag’s captaincy in 52 games, DD won 28 matches with a remarkable win percentage of 53.84%. He was the longest-serving skipper of the franchise.

2. Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir earned the title of one of the greatest captains of the IPL. Before his highly successful stint with KKR, Gambhir led the Daredevils for 2 seasons. In 21 matches, DD won on 10 occasions but lost 11. In 2009, the team finished as table-toppers but eventually lost to Deccan Chargers in the semi-finals. Gambhir returned to DD in 2018 but passed on the baton of leadership to Shreyas Iyer midway through their campaign.

3. James Hopes

Australian all-rounder James Hopes stood in as captain in 3 matches in IPL 2011 when Sehwag was unavailable. Under Hopes, DD lost 2 games and a match got washed out.

4. Mahela Jayawardene

As one of Sri Lanka’s most successful captains, Mahela Jayawardene was at the helm of Delhi Daredevils after Sehwag quit captaincy prior to IPL 2013. Despite being a prolific run-scorer for his side, the Daredevils were on a decline as they only won 4 out of 16 games under Jayawardene. DD finished their forgettable campaign, reeling at the bottom of the league standings.

5. David Warner

Waner marshalled the Delhi Daredevils in just 2 games. IPL 2013 was a nightmarish season for the franchise, and a change of guard was the solution to their problems. Warner was the highest run-scorer for DD that season, but he failed to win a single match as a skipper. Also Read: RR All Captains List: How many players have captained Rajasthan Royals in IPL History

6. Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen was of DD’s most high-profile signings in their history of IPL auctions. The former English cricketer was a proven game-changer, but his instincts as a captain were yet to be tested. IPL 2014 happened in 2 major phases: the initial half was played in UAE, while the final half was hosted in India. The destructive batter was a massive letdown as a captain, as Delhi won only 1 match in 11 matches with a win percentage of 9.09%.

7. Dinesh Karthik

One of IPL’s most successful wicket-keeper batsmen, Dinesh Karthik, returned to his first IPL team, Delhi Daredevils as Pietersen’s deputy in IPL 2014. He has led Delhi in 6 matches overall, with 2 wins and 4 defeats in them.

8. J P Duminy

Proteas T20 specialist J P Duminy came on board as the captain of the Delhi Captials, with an uphill task to redirect the team back on track. However, despite the all-rounders’ incredible knocks with the bat, the Daredevils languished in the bottom half of the points tables. Duminy led DD to 6 wins and 9 losses in 16 games, with a match abandoned due to rain.

9. Zaheer Khan

One of India’s all-time greatest seamers, Zaheer Khan, joined the list of Delhi Capitals captains in the twilight stage of his career. Zaheer Khan infused a spirit of gamesmanship in the young blood of the Delhi camp that was missing in the past seasons. The team might have continued to struggle; however, it was evident that the side was slowly and steadily rebuilding its firepower as a collective unit. Zak marshalled DD to 10 victories in 23 games with an impressive win percentage of 43.47%. Also Read: PBKS All Captains List: How many players have captained Punjab Kings in IPL History

10. Karun Nair

Karun Nair was the vice-captain of the team when Zaheer Khan was at the helm of DD. Nair took charge of the side in 3 matches, in which DD won 2 of them but lost 1. A bankable player who mostly batted in the top order, Nair will go down as one of the most under-rated Indian cricketers to have taken part in this cash-rich league.

11. Shreyas Iyer

The stylish Mumbai cricketer Shreyas Iyer was instrumental in the revival of the Delhi franchise in the IPL. It was under Iyer’s captaincy that the Delhi Capitals progressed to the playoffs for the first time in 7 seasons. Iyer’s team finished as the runners-up in IPL 2020 after MI beat them in the final. In 41 matches, he led DC to 21 wins and 2 ties (DC won both the matches in super over) and therefore maintained a staggering win percentage of 56.10%.

12. Rishabh Pant

The X factor of the team, Rishabh Pant, was promoted to captaincy when Shreyas Iyer was set to miss the initial matches of IPL 2021 owing to a shoulder injury. Rishabh was the newest addition to the list of the Delhi Capitals captains. In his maiden season as a skipper, DC finished as table-toppers but eventually got eliminated, being narrowly defeated by KKR in Qualifier 2.

In A Nutshell: DC All Captains List

Also Read: CSK All Captains List: How many players have captained Chennai Super Kings in IPL History

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