Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) are one of the most underperforming teams in the history of the IPL. This is despite the fact they have had the services of some of the finest players.
The franchise started well by qualifying for the knockouts in the first two seasons. But after that, Delhi’s performance went downhill until they gained momentum in 2019 to secure playoff qualification in three consecutive seasons. However, Delhi Capitals (DC) have never managed to get their hands on the coveted IPL trophy.
This article delves into the Delhi Capitals’ year-wise performance in the IPL.
| Year | Result | W-L | Top Run-Scorer | Top Wicket-Taker |
| 2026 | Upcoming (Starts Mar 31) | — | — | — |
| 2025 | League Stage (5th) | 7-6 (1 NR) | KL Rahul (539) | Kuldeep Yadav (15) |
| 2024 | League Stage (6th) | 7-7 | Rishabh Pant (446) | Khaleel Ahmed (17) |
| 2023 | League Stage (9th) | 5-9 | David Warner (516) | Mitchell Marsh (12) |
| 2022 | League Stage (5th) | 7-7 | David Warner (432) | Kuldeep Yadav (21) |
| 2021 | Playoffs (3rd) | 10-6 | Shikhar Dhawan (587) | Avesh Khan (24) |
| 2020 | Runners-up (2nd) | 9-8 | Shikhar Dhawan (618) | Kagiso Rabada (30) |
| 2019 | Playoffs (3rd) | 10-6 | Shikhar Dhawan (521) | Kagiso Rabada (25) |
| 2018 | League Stage (8th) | 5-9 | Rishabh Pant (684) | Trent Boult (18) |
| 2017 | League Stage (6th) | 6-8 | Sanju Samson (386) | Pat Cummins (15) |
| 2016 | League Stage (6th) | 7-7 | Quinton de Kock (445) | Amit Mishra (13) |
| 2015 | League Stage (7th) | 5-8 (1 NR) | Shreyas Iyer (439) | Nathan Coulter-Nile (15) |
| 2014 | League Stage (8th) | 2-12 | JP Duminy (410) | Imran Tahir (9) |
| 2013 | League Stage (9th) | 3-13 | David Warner (410) | Umesh Yadav (16) |
| 2012 | Playoffs (3rd) | 11-7 | Virender Sehwag (495) | Morne Morkel (25) |
| 2011 | League Stage (10th) | 4-9 (1 NR) | Virender Sehwag (424) | Morne Morkel (13) |
| 2010 | League Stage (5th) | 7-7 | Virender Sehwag (356) | Amit Mishra (17) |
| 2009 | Semi-finals (3rd) | 10-5 | AB de Villiers (465) | Ashish Nehra (19) |
| 2008 | Semi-finals (4th) | 7-7 (1 NR) | Gautam Gambhir (534) | Yo Mahesh (16) |
Key Performance Stats: Delhi Capitals
2025 Impact: KL Rahul lived up to his ₹14 Crore price tag, finishing as the team’s top scorer (539 runs), though the team was the last to be eliminated from playoff contention after a crucial loss to Mumbai Indians.
Total Titles: 0. Along with PBKS and RCB (until 2025), they are one of the original franchises still chasing their first title.
Final Appearances: 1 (2020).
Apart from their lone final appearance, they have played in the tournament Semi-Final twice and the Qualifier 2 three times.
Delhi Capitals have reached the Playoffs in six seasons and played the final once in 2020. In that final, DC lost to the Mumbai Indians and ended their campaign as runner-up.
Final Efficiency: 0%.
Consistency: Qualified for the playoffs/knockouts in 6 out of 18 seasons. They were the table-toppers in the league stage twice (2009 and 2012) but failed to reach the final in both years.
Champions League T20: Reached the Semi-finals in 2012, losing to eventual winners Sydney Sixers.
Wooden Spoons: Finished in last place twice (2011 and 2014) and 9th twice (2013 and 2023).
Delhi had such a miserable run that they lost 11 matches in a row between the 2014 (nine) and 2015 (two) seasons, which is a record for most consecutive losses.
Delhi holds an unwanted record for registering the most losses in a single season. They lost 13 matches out of the 16 played in the 2013 season.
The Capitals also hold the joint record of winning the least number of matches in a single edition. DC won only two matches out of the 14 they played in the 2014 season.
Thus far, the Capitals have seen 13 players lead the team in IPL history, with only five captaining in 20+ matches and winning 10+ games. Axar Patel became their 13th captain in 2024 after he led them in one game, though he is now their full-time skipper.
The Rebranding Boost: Since changing their name from Daredevils to Capitals in late 2018, the team made the playoffs in 3 out of 7 seasons, a significant improvement over their 2013–2018 slump.
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