Delhi Capitals are set to give KL Rahul a permanent opening slot in the 2026 Indian Premier League season, the franchise confirmed at its pre-tournament press conference on Monday, March 23. Ahead of the opening match, head coach Hemang Badani and director of cricket Venugopal Rao stressed that DC are looking to rectify their top-order woes this season.
Last season, Delhi used as many as seven opening combinations in the IPL. Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk started, but the Australian’s poor form forced a rethink. Frequent chopping and changing led to instability, with the team making as many as 13 changes at the top.
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This inconsistency affected their starts, often leaving the middle order with too much work to do. Speaking ahead of their opening match against Lucknow Super Giants, Badani said that in the last two years, opening partnerships have become a game-changing factor in T20 cricket. With this in mind, he confirmed that the team will remain at the top with KL Rahul this season.
Delhi Capitals Starting Lineup in IPL 2025
- Faf du Plessis – Jake Fraser-McGurk
- Faf du Plessis – KL Rahul
- Abishek Porel – Karun Nair
- Abishek Porel – Jake Fraser-McGurk
- Faf du Plessis – Abishek Porel
- KL Rahul – Jake Fraser-McGurk
- Faf du Plessis – Karun Nair
KL Rahul’s white ball form
KL Rahul was released by Lucknow Super Giants after the end of the IPL 2024 season. The franchise brought in Rishabh Pant for a record fee while Delhi got Rahul to strengthen their batting line-up. Rahul started in the middle order but gradually pushed his way into the top three last season.
Over the last year and a half, Rahul has been working on developing his power hitting game. In IPL 2025, he scored 539 runs at a strike rate of 150 – his best since IPL 2022 when he scored over 600 runs, albeit at a lower strike rate.
An improved power game from Rahul is expected to give DC a more dynamic presence at the top. However, the team is yet to finalize its opening partner, with options including Pathum Nissanka, Abishek Porel and Prithvi Shaw.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
23 March 2026 14:10 IST
