Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals was founded in 2008 as one of the original IPL teams. The team finished as semi-finalists in IPL 2008 but has failed to win an IPL trophy ever since. In its decade-long history, Delhi has featured some of the highest-profile cricketers including Kevin Pietersen, Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene, and Rishabh Pant. From being a mediocre team for most of the years, Delhi Capitals have become a solid and dependable IPL side under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer. Since Iyer took over the reins, he has successfully rebranded the team bearing its new logo along with a fresh set of players, who have helped Delhi emerge as one of the better sides in the tournament. From being a middle-table side, they have progressed to become one of the top contenders every season. However, with the release of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant is now the captain of the ship.

DC (Delhi Capitals) Team Owner

Based in the national capital Delhi, the franchise is owned by GMR Group, a leading infrastructure, and real estate development company. On paper, Delhi Capitals' brand value increased almost fourfold from 2018 to 2020. However, it needs to be seen whether the success on the field has translated into a rise in viewership and attendance at matches.

Delhi Capitals' presence in the IPL has some impact on its economy. The financial impact of being an IPL franchise is not just limited to the direct revenues trickling in as a result of participation in the league but also extends to indirect profits and opportunities for brand building. Therefore, it might be useful to understand how an IPL franchise contributes to the economy of a city and country.

DC (Delhi Capitals) Brand Value

Prior to the merger between GMR and JSW group, Parth Jindal was appointed as the MD of Delhi Capitals for two years from March 2018. However, after the IPL 2019, Kumar Grandhi replaced him by bringing in a 50% shareholding. The team management is then handed over to Kumar Grandhi after 2020. GMR is an Indian multinational, public, conglomerate and infrastructure development company. The company is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Currently, the brand value of the team is around INR 550 Crores (nearly US$85 million).

Performance of DC (Delhi Capitals) over the years

In the fifteen years of the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals hasn’t managed to win the IPL title even once. However, they played in the Finals in 2020 but lost to Mumbai Indians and hence are without a title till now. But over the years, the team hasn’t performed consistently and thus there have been seasons where the team has failed to qualify for the playoffs too. The franchise has been part of the league in all but the IPL's inaugural season of 2008, and changed its team name to Delhi Capitals for the 2019 season. The franchise was previously known as Delhi Daredevils from 2008 to 2018.

Year	IPL (Indian Premier League) Performance
2008	Playoffs (4th)
2009	Playoffs (1st)
2010	League Stage (5th)
2011	League Stage (10th)
2012	Playoffs (1st)
2013	League Stage (9th)
2014	League Stage (8th)
2015	League Stage (7th)
2016	League Stage (6th)
2017	League Stage (6th)
2018	League Stage (8th)
2019	Playoffs (3rd)
2020	Runners-up
2021	Playoffs (1st)
2022	League Stage (5th)

IPL 2008 Season

The first season for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) started with a bang as they finished at the fourth position in the points table and played the Semi-Finals. With players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Shoaib Malik and many more in the team, they looked unstoppable. However, they lost in the Semi-Finals and hence were knocked out of the tournament.

IPL 2009 Season

The second season was a repeat telecast of the 2008 season for the Delhi Capitals as they again qualified for the playoffs but failed to win the title. In that season, they became the only team to have 20 points in the league stage and the young guns like David Warner and AB De Villiers stepped up to make sure they do well in the league.

IPL 2010 Season

After two successful seasons in the previous two IPLs, Delhi Capitals finally failed to make it to the playoffs in the 2010 season, and hence the team owners decided to come up with new strategies and plans. They released the majority of their players like Ab De Villiers, Gautam Gambhir, and many more who did well after joining the new franchises, and hence it was a big mistake from their side.

IPL 2011 Season

The worst year for the Delhi Capitals was in 2011 as after the introduction of two new teams, they finished in the tenth position and got the wooden spoon. Moreover, this year, they assembled an even stronger squad but still failed to qualify, and hence it was a big disappointment for the fans as well as the owners of the team who were looking forward to seeing them do well.

IPL 2012 Season

The IPL 2012 saw Delhi coming stronger and hence breaking all records. They finished at the top of the points table and hence managed to make it to the playoffs with lots of hopes of winning the championship. However, they failed again, and hence despite being the table toppers, they were knocked out of the tournament,

IPL 2013 Season

In the IPL 2013 season, the Delhi team again saw a dip in their performance as they finished at the last position in the table and hence failed to make it to the playoffs. This season proved to be an eye-opener for them and hence they started preparing themselves well for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.

IPL 2014 Season

The IPL 2014 Season came again as another disappointment for the team as they failed to make it to the playoffs again and hence they finished in the last position on the points table. Despite buying some top players available in the league, Delhi wasn’t able to make an impact and hence the same story continued for them and the fans.

IPL 2015 Season

The IPL 2015 season was again the repeat of the previous seasons as the team again failed to make it to the playoffs as they finished in the seventh spot on the points table and hence left the fans disappointed. Moreover, this season made the fans angry with the team as they weren’t playing well and hence it looked like the games weren’t going well for them.

IPL 2016 Season

The IPL 2016 season was no different from the other seasons as the team failed to qualify for the playoffs again. However, this time, the team was headed by youngsters like Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, and others. Zaheer Khan was appointed as the captain of the team but he failed to have a significant mark on it and hence the team finished in the sixth position.

IPL 2017 Season

The IPL 2017 season saw Delhi Daredevils gaining some momentum but still failing to get it to the playoffs. The youngsters again came to the rescue as they made some good scores and played good innings. But no support from the bowling side led them down and hence they were knocked out of the tournament.

IPL 2018 Season

In the 2018 IPL Season, Gautam Gambhir returned back to the Delhi team and got the captaincy of the team. However, his form was a major concern and thus the team failed again. After just a few matches, he was released from the captaincy, and thus Shreyas Iyer was awarded the captaincy. But the team still failed to make it big and hence they lost the crucial matches in that season.

IPL 2019 Season

After failing in the last six seasons, Delhi Capitals finally made it to the playoffs, and hence the young Shreyas Iyer led them well this time. For the team, it was important to qualify at this stage and hence they made it possible with the squad that they had. Moreover, the players like Axar Patel, R Ashwin, and others contributed well to take them home. However, they lost in the Playoffs.

IPL 2020 Season

In the IPL 2020 Season, Delhi Capitals finally played their first IPL finals and hence it was a perfect season for them. However, they lost to Mumbai Indians there but the players left a significant impact on the team. Furthermore, they made sure that they get confidence from this season and hence played really well on the big stage for the upcoming season. The team had a strong set of players and performed above expectations.

IPL 2021 Season

The IPL 2021 season again saw Delhi Capitals making it to the playoffs but this time, Rishabh Pant was the captain of the team as Shreyas Iyer was injured. Moreover, this time, the team had some star players like Steve Smith, Shikhar Dhawan, Marcus Stoinis, and many more which resulted in them making the third position in the playoffs. However, they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 and hence were knocked out of the tournament.

IPL 2022 Season

In the latest season of the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals didn’t get off to a great start, and even in the auction, they were not able to set up a strong lineup. With the players like Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, and Khaleel Ahmad, the bowling was looking good and even with David Warner joining the squad, they were hoping for a good tournament. But they were led down by their captain Rishabh Pant who didn’t go well. Hence, they finished at the fifth position in the points table.

Stats of Delhi Capitals Players

In just the first season, Delhi Capitals signed some of the best players available. With players like David Warner, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, AB De Villiers, Andre Russell, and many more, the team had immense talent. However, as time passed, the team started releasing their players and hence the task became difficult for the Delhi team. But now, with the players like Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, and many more, the team will be looking to do well in the upcoming time.

Top Run Scorers for Delhi Capitals

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Runs Scored	Average	Strike Rate
Rishabh Pant	98	2838	34.60	147.96
Virender Sehwag	86	2382	29.77	158.37
Shreyas Iyer	87	2375	31.66	123.95
Shikhar Dhawan	63	2066	38.98	131.00
David Warner	69	1888	31.46	136.51

Top Wicket Takers for Delhi Capitals

Name of the Player	Matches Played	Wickets Taken	Average	Economy
Amit Mishra	103	110	23.93	7.37
Kagiso Rabada	50	76	20.52	8.21
Morne Morkel	41	51	23.31	7.52
Umesh Yadav	51	47	29.17	7.93
Anrich Nortje	30	43	21.30	8.05

Delhi Daredevils were one of the eight teams that took part in the first edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008, which was also the team's debut season. However, they have not been able to make a strong impression on the IPL. Although the franchise is one from the heart of India, which is the capital city of Delhi, its fans are scattered all across India. The passionate and energetic fans have been always supporting the team no matter who has been in the team or who has been captain. That's what you call one of the true blue fans. Moreover, with the quality players like Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, David Warner and many more already in the team, they look all set for the 2023 IPL season where they will be looking to dominate the opponents and hence make it to the playoffs and win the title.