Delhi Capitals confirm KL Rahul's batting position in Indian Premier League 2026

The IPL 2020 runners-up Delhi Capitals had a press conference before the Indian Premier League 2026, where the skipper Axar Patel and head coach Hemang Badani talked about the batting combination, including confirming KL Rahul's batting position.

Delhi Capitals failed to reach the Playoffs for the last four seasons, while they closely missed the top four places last season, where they finished in fifth position. Last season, the franchise tried seven different opening combinations, as the unsustainable batting lineup was the major issue for them. 

While the IPL 2026 is less than a week away, the skipper Axar Patel confirmed that KL Rahul will play as an opener for the franchise. The right-handed batter is a strong name as an opener, where his IPL batting average is 49.64, as he is the fifth leading run-scorer as an opener (4418 runs) in the tournament history. He carries the highest batting average as an IPL opener with at least 20 innings, but his strike rate is lower (138.14).

See Also: BCCI announces fan parks in 15 cities for Phase 1 of IPL 2026

How do fans react after KL Rahul's comeback as opener

Most fans are really happy with KL Rahul's return to the familiar batting position. However, some have pointed out his non-impressive batting strike rate as an opener, which sometimes affected the team. 

Delhi Capitals schedule for IPL 2026

While the IPL 2026 has the schedule of the first 20 matches at present, we have the Delhi Capitals' first four games fixtures.

• 1 April: Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals (Lucknow) - 19:30 IST
• 4 April: Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians (Delhi) - 15:30 IST
• 8 April: Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Titans (Delhi) - 19:30 IST
• 11 April: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals (Chennai) - 19:30 IST