Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is just a few weeks away. The first 20 matches of the tournament have been scheduled due to assembly elections in India. Delhi Capitals (DC) have already started their camp for the IPL, and slowly, players are joining the franchise for training sessions ahead of the toughest T20 league.
Delhi Capitals started well last season, winning five of their first six games under captain Axar Patel. Despite their good start, they ultimately failed to qualify for the playoffs due to a slump in the second half of the campaign, losing five out of eight games in the second half.
KL Rahul’s batting status in doubt?
DC was a team that had a musical chairs situation in their batting order, which was one of the reasons for their collapse in the latter half of the tournament. Ahead of the new season, former DC coach Mohammad Kaif has dropped his batting order for KL Rahul.
KL Rahul has been the batsman who has been experimented on the most in all positions, which brings its own challenges and he has performed well. However, Kaif believes that the stylish batsman should open the innings for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.
I think he will open – Mohammad Kaif on KL Rahul
Kaif said on his YouTube channel, “I think he will open and he should open. His record as an opener is excellent. If we talk about the last three or four years, his graph in terms of strike rate has gone up a lot. I think he should not get confused.”
“The problem is that they ask KL Rahul to bat at No. 4 or play the finishing role. He should go and play his game, and as an opener. They also have David Miller and Tristan Stubbs this time.”
“You open, and back up your shots and play. Last year saw a massive change in his batting. He improved his game in the power play and won some matches single-handedly,” Kaif said.
DC have plenty of options with the openers this time as they have bought Ben Duckett, Pathum Nissanka, and also have options for KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw and Karun Nair. With five opening batsmen, they will have to sort them out quickly to build their best XI right from the start.
Delhi Capitals has a strong middle order
Kaif also praised Delhi’s purchase of Miller for the upcoming season, saying it will further add to the balance. This time, DC has a strong middle order in the form of David Miller, Abhishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel and Ashutosh Sharma.
Kaif further said, “The biggest thing is David Miller. He will bat at No. 5 or No. 6 on the Delhi pitch and he is in great form. So he has done two things. He has filled many openers in his team and brought Miller.”
“Spinners were already their strength, and they have some fast bowlers as well. This looks a more balanced team than last year.”
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