Here’s our pick of 5 domestic players who we believe can be the game changers for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
After finishing the 2024 edition in sixth place and missing out on the playoffs on net run rate, the Capitals, under the new captaincy of KL Rahul, will look to break into the playoffs this time and try getting their first-ever IPL title.
Abishek Porel
Abishek Porel had an excellent IPL 2024, as the Bengal wicketkeeper-batter scored 327 runs at a strike rate of 159. He has also been in decent form in the lead-up to the 2025 edition of the IPL.
In nine matches for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the 22-year-old southpaw scored 335 runs at a strike rate of 159, with half centuries against Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Rajasthan helping in powering his team to the knockouts. In the subsequent Vijay Hazare Trophy, Porel carried on his merry way, scoring 317 runs at an average of 53 and a healthy strike rate of 106.
With the potential pairing of KL Rahul and either one of Faf du Plessis or Jack Fraser-McGurk opening the batting for the DC this year, Porel at #3 will look to carry on his aggressive approach from the previous edition.
Karun Nair
The former India international is currently playing some of the best cricket he’s ever played. After leading his Karnataka Premier League side, Mysore Warriors, to the title last season as well as finishing the tournament as the Player of the Series with 560 runs and a strike rate of 181, Nair carried on his good run with his state side in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 255 runs in six innings, striking at 177.
In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, where Karnataka have made it to the semi-finals, the 33-year-old right-hander has been pivotal to their success. Nair has five hundreds in six matches and has only been dismissed once. His 664 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 115 means he’s topping the run-getters list by quite a margin.
Given the number of sloggers and explosive batters the Delhi Capitals have at their disposal, it’ll be very helpful to have someone like Karun Nair batting for them at #3 or #4, especially with the kind of form he is in at the moment.
Sameer Rizvi
A lot was expected from Sameer Rizvi when the Chennai Super Kings roped him in for a substantial INR 8.4 crore, though things didn’t quite really work out for the Uttar Pradesh batter down south. With the CSK erring on the side of caution and not tinkering with their established lineup too much, Rizvi didn’t get many opportunities to make his case the way he would have liked.
Looking at his exploits in the UP T20 League as well as his limited CSK knocks, it is evident that there’s a lot the 21-year-old can offer. Although he had an average Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign, scoring just 134 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 137, Rizvi scored an 82-ball 105 against Vidharbha in his last Vijay Hazare Trophy outing for UP.
Given the Capitals don’t have too many explosive batters in their reserves apart from the starters, someone like Rizvi can be an excellent addition as an Impact Sub given his spin-hitting and slogging.
Darshan Nalkande
Having played for the Gujarat Titans in the last three seasons under the tutelage of Ashish Nehra, Vidharbha’s Darshan Nalkande will be plying his trade for the Delhi Capitals from this season. With the GT boasting one of the best fast-bowling contingent in recent years, it was difficult for the 26-year-old to make a claim for a place in the playing XI. However, whenever called upon, he was entrusted with bowling the difficult death overs.
In the lead-up to this year’s IPL, Nalkande has been among the wickets in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. He bagged 12 wickets in just six innings in the SMAT before his team was knocked out in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Mumbai, while in the VHT he has so far picked up ten wickets, with a semi-final against Maharashtra due to be contested on 16th January.
Given his knack for taking wickets and ability to operate in the crucial death overs, there’s every possibility the DC management will turn to him as their Impact Sub while defending totals.
Ashutosh Sharma
Railways’ Ashutosh Sharma announced himself in the IPL in grand fashion, scoring three consecutive 30+ scores as well as a career best 28-ball 61 against the Mumbai Indians, though his form tailed off towards the latter stages as he ended his season with 189 runs, striking at just over 167.
Although the Punjab Kings failed to buy back their lower-order batter, the 26-year-old did manage to find a new home as the Capitals splurged INR 3.8 crore for his services.
For all of their explosive batting firepower in the top and middle orders, there aren’t many players who can bat effectively lower down the order and wreak havoc in the death overs for the Capitals. This means the management will look to bed Sharma in the playing XI right from the start.
Moreover, the 26-year-old has also been in decent touch, scoring 164 runs in the SMAT at a strike rate of 167 while also scoring 241 runs in seven innings in the VHT, striking at 145.
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