For the Delhi Capitals (DC), IPL 2025 started like a fairy tale — four wins in a row, a confident captain in Axar Patel, and the team sitting pretty at the top of the points table. At that point, the 2025 DC team rating looked like a solid 8.5 out of 10, arguably one of the best starts in the franchise’s recent history. The team’s early-season surge had many fans and analysts touting a top-tier 2025 DC team rating, possibly even making them early title favorites.

But as we know, cricket can be cruel. The second half of the season brought inconsistency, key injuries, and some head-scratching tactics. What looked like a playoff-bound season unraveled fast, and Delhi eventually found themselves out of contention, watching the knockout drama from the sidelines.

What Went Wrong for DC？

Let’s break it down. DC’s early momentum crashed face-first into a wall of issues, some tactical, some unfortunate. The opening pair shuffle was one of the biggest headaches. Across the season, DC tried out five different openers: KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abhishek Porel, and Karun Nair. In T20 cricket, that kind of instability at the top can be fatal. Head coach Hemang Badani admitted they just couldn’t get anyone to click early in the innings — a settled combination never materialized.

Just trusting the process 🤞🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/hTkl9LeyrD

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 27, 2025

This indecision spilled into team strategy too. With the new Impact Player rule, teams have been getting creative. DC, however, sometimes outthought themselves. Their conservative approach meant the Impact Player wasn’t used to its full potential, and by the time they adjusted, it was too late.

Another KD classic 👏 pic.twitter.com/1HX7uCwY5Y

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 21, 2025

As for the bowlers, it was a mixed bag. Kuldeep Yadav? Outstanding. Mitchell Starc? Effective in bursts. But the support bowlers just didn’t step up. Without consistent backup, even the best bowlers can’t carry an attack through 14 intense matches. And yes, it hurt the DC performance in IPL 2025 when key players like Axar Patel missed must-win games.

Related Article：DC Is Eliminated from IPL 2025 – How the Playoff Dream Died

DC Stars of the Season

Despite the disappointing finish, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Some players truly shone this year for Delhi.

KL Rahul’s 500+ runs were a saving grace — he was shuffled all over the batting order, but he adapted and anchored the innings time and again. If Delhi had managed to build around his stability, things might have ended differently.

Kuldeep Yadav was the heartbeat of the bowling attack. Quiet, effective, and always in the game. Without his middle-over control, the DC squad rating would’ve dropped even further. Starc made noise early, including a match-winning Super Over spell, but was later sidelined and missed during crunch time.

Our 2025 DC Team Rating

So, what’s the final DC squad rating for IPL 2025? Let’s be generous and call it a 6.5/10. The DC performance in IPL 2025 was a tale of two halves, electrifying start, frustrating end. The 2025 DC team rating started high but took a hit as the season went off the rails.

Humara dil, Class of 2025 💙❤️

Until we meet again 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ls5XBmOPOD

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 26, 2025

The talent is there. The core is competitive. But moving forward, Delhi needs to make peace with the Impact Player rules, find a reliable opening combo, and trust their bench strength. One bad stretch doesn’t erase the potential this team has, but next season, they’ll need to do more than just flash brilliance. They’ll need to finish strong.