Delhi Capitals: Unsuccessful Team in IPL Hunger for Trophy

Delhi Capitals formerly known as Delhi Daredevils is one of the most exciting yet unsuccessful team in IPL with loads of talented players. However, this is another IPL Cricket team that hasn't won any Trophy since 2008.

The Capitals came so close to the title in the 2021 season but lost to Mumbai Indians in the final.

This blog will discuss the roller coaster ride journey of the Delhi team in the IPL Cricket, its historical background, team recognition, home ground & Fan support, performances in the previous seasons, top performers, and rivalries in the league.

A Quick History of Delhi Capitals

The Indian Premier League (IPL) started in April 2008, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and supported by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In the auction held in February 2008, the Delhi team was bought by the GMR Group for $84 million.

In 2018, GMR sold half of their ownership to JSW Sports for ₹550 crore. In December 2018, the team changed its name from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals. Co-owner Parth Jindal said that Delhi is the power center of the country, being the capital, so they chose the name Delhi Capitals for their IPL Team to show that they want to be the main spot for cricket action.

Team Name, Logo, Crest, and colors

The Delhi Capitals, an IPL team have a name that shows the spirit of the Indian capital. Their logo has three strong and determined lion heads showing the hunger for victory and the Parliament building on top.

The logo also has three different colors – blue, white, and red. The main team colors are navy blue and red, giving the Delhi Capitals a bold and energetic identity in the IPL Cricket. Despite such a huge recognition, Delhi is one of the unsuccessful team in IPL.

Home Ground and Fan Base of DC

The Delhi Capitals play their home games at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, also known as the Arun Jaitley Stadium, in Delhi. This stadium is a lively place for the unsuccessful team in IPL matches. Fans, called the "DCToli," cheer for the Delhi Capitals with a lot of passion.

Besides this, Delhi played its home matches at Raipur Cricket Stadium as a secondary option. This stadium has international level facilities to host IPL cricket matches but Delhi has not played a single match at this venue since 2016.

No matter whichever stadium the Capitals IPL Team plays, their fans fill up the stadium and bring a lot of energy and support for their home team despite not winning a single trophy in 16 seasons.

Captains & Legendary Players who played for DC

Player	Matches	From	To	Won	Lost	Win%
Virender Sehwag	52	2008	2012	28	24	53.84
Gautam Gambhir	25	2009	2018	12	13	48
Dinesh Karthik	6	2009	2018	2	4	48
James Hopes	3	2009	2011	0	2	0
Mahela Jayawardene	18	2012	2013	6	1	0
Ross Taylor	2	2012	2012	0	1	1
David Warner	16	2013	2023	5	11	31.25
Kevin Pietersen	12	2014	2014	1	1	9.09
JP Duminy	16	2015	2016	6	9	37.5
Zaheer Khan	23	2016	2017	10	13	43.47
Karun Nair	3	2016	2017	2	1	66.6
Shreyas Iyer	41	2018	2021	21	18	51.21
Rishabh Pant	30	2021	Present	16	13	53.33

Notable Players:

Indian Players:

Virender Sehwag

Yuvraj Singh

Muhammad Shami

Gautam Gambhir

Zaheer Khan

Rishabh Pant

Shikhar Dhawan

Ajit Agarkar

Irfan Pathan

Murli Vijay

Overseas Players:

Kevin Pieterson

Ross Taylor

Andre Russell

JP Duminy

AB De Villiers

Mahela Jayawardene

Muhammad Asif

Glenn Maxwell

Glenn McGrath

Morne Morkel

Season-wise Performance of Delhi Capitals IPL Team

Indian Premier League

IPL Season	Final Standings	Win	Loss	Total	Summary
2008	4th	7	7	15	Semi-finalists
2009	3rd	10	5	15	Semi-finalists
2010	5th	7	7	14	Group-Stage
2011	10th	4	9	14	Group-Stage
2012	3rd	11	7	18	Playoffs
2013	9th	3	13	16	Group-Stage
2014	8th	2	12	14	Group-Stage
2015	7th	5	9	14	Group-Stage
2016	6th	7	7	14	Group-Stage
2017	6th	6	8	14	Group-Stage
2018	8th	5	9	14	Group-Stage
2019	3rd	10	6	16	Playoffs
2020	2nd	9	8	17	Runners up
2021	1st	10	6	16	Playoffs
2022	5th	7	7	14	Group-Stage
2023	9th	5	9	14	Group Stage
Total	-	108	129	239	-

Champions League T20

CLT Season	Summary	League standing
2009	League stage	6th out of 12
2010	Did not Qualify
2011	Did not Qualify
2012	Semi-Finalists	3rd out of 14

Top Performers for Delhi In IPL Cricket

Most Runs For DC- Unsuccessful Team in IPL

Period	Player	Matches	Runs	Innings
2016–2022	Rishabh Pant	98	2,838	97
2015–2021	Shreyas Iyer	87	2,375	87
2009–2023	David Warner	77	2,197	77
2008–2013	Virender Sehwag	79	2,174	79
2008–2021	Shikhar Dhawan	63	2,066	63

Most Wickets For DC

Period	Player	Matches	Wickets	Average
2008–2021	Amit Mishra	99	106	23.65
2017–2021	Kagiso Rabada	50	76	20.52
2020–2023	Anrich Nortje	38	50	24.02
2019–2023	Axar Patel	64	47	32.82
2011–2013	Morne Morkel	37	45	24.73

Delhi Capitals Rivalry with Punjab Kings:

The Capitals share an intense rivalry with the Kings of Punjab as both teams are actually a part of the Punjab state of India. Unfortunately, both teams are among the unsuccessful team in IPL who haven't won a single trophy in their significant history but they make sure whenever they meet on the field, the fans and IPL cricket lovers get a peak cinema in the form of cricket.

There is always a tussle between these teams to win an IPL championship for the people of Punjab to have something to celebrate.