Strengths
To speak of the Capitals’ batting first, the presence of senior pro KL Rahul, a player who can build an innings as well as provide that much-needed acceleration at the death, acts as a cushion for the rest of the batting line-up.
If needed, the Capitals may even think of promoting Rahul at the top of the order if their preferred opening combination struggles.
South African Tristan Stubbs, too, has grown in experience and appears more prudent in terms of his shot selection, while the addition of his senior Proteas teammate, David Miller, adds further solidity to the Capitals’ batting line-up.
Besides, the stroke-making capacity of England opener Ben Duckett and Sri Lankan Pathum Nissanka add to the Capitals’ options. They would also hope that Ashutosh Sharma, who had impressed on a few occasions last year, goes on to be more consistent this time around, especially if he’s batting in the slog overs.
Bowling-wise, Australian speedster Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav will continue to play a vital role. Lungi Ngidi’s current form, too, boosts the Capitals, particularly his slower delivery, with which he earned a fair bit of success in this year’s T20 World Cup.
Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi is one of the best buys in this IPL, something he has also proven not just by being the highest wicket-taker in this season’s Ranji Trophy, but also with his relatively consistent showing in the national T20 and one-day tournaments as well.
For most of the rival batters, Auqib is unfamiliar territory, something he too must be keen on utilising.
Weaknesses
The opening combination could be a headache for the Capitals. Although Bengal’s Abishek Porel has provided them with brisk starts on certain occasions, his inconsistency has been a worry and so is his tendency to throw his wicket away with a loose shot. Also, even if the Capitals back Porel as opener, who partners him? Will it be Prithvi Shaw? Shot selection and inconsistency are massive issues for Prithvi as well.
Poor starts will only add to the pressure on the rest of their batting group, which the Capitals management is quite aware of.
Also, the Capitals need to be quite careful about the choice of their overseas players, especially when it comes to their batting unit. Picking the right overseas batter in terms of the conditions on offer is one big task, which the Capitals haven’t been too successful with in the previous seasons.
The absence of a seasoned specialist off-spinner could be another area of concern.
X-factor
This IPL could be the ideal stage for captain Axar Patel to lead his team from the front. His unavailability in a few matches for being unwell was certainly a reason behind the Capitals’ inability to make the playoffs in IPL 2025. The left-arm spinner all-rounder has grown into a sharper cricketer, having excelled in all aspects of the game.
In the recent T20 World Cup, Axar didn’t get much of a chance to prove his worth with the bat, but in the IPL, a two-month long competition, he has every possibility of coming across situations when he can perform the role of a floater.
In a nutshell, Axar can prosper in an all-round role. As a fielder too, his knack of taking some stunning catches in the outfield can at times be as good as his runs and wickets. The two catches he took in India’s narrow seven-run win over England in the T20 Cup semi-final in Mumbai are still fresh in the minds of most.
Best finish: Runners-up in 2020
Last year: Fifth
THE SQUADProminent names:
Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Abishek Porel, Prithvi Shaw, Nitish Rana, Ben Duckett, Pathum Nissanka, Auqib Nabi, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Kyle Jamieson, T. Natarajan, Lungi Ngidi, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera
Other names: Sahil Parakh, Ajay Mandal, Sameer Rizvi, Madhav Tiwari, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay