Delhi Capitals suffered a big blow just four days before the IPL 2026, and they will be looking for a Ben Duckett replacement quickly. The England batter pulled out of the tournament at the last minute, which has thrown the franchise in a disarray.
Duckett was acquired by the team in the mini auction for a base price for INR 2 crore. Despite warming the bench for England in the T20 World Cup, he was expected to open for Delhi alongside KL Rahul. His withdrawal means the Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 squad will need a replacement.
The Capitals have multiple opening options in their squad. They have Pathum Nissanka as the overseas option, along with domestic stars such as Prithvi Shaw, Abhishek Porel, and Karun Nair. The problem, however, is that none of them are dashers who can take the game away in the first few overs itself. This makes it tricky whether to sign an opener as the Ben Duckett replacement or fill in another area.
Jamie Smith might be the most destructive batter in the available players pool. The English youngster going unsold in the mega auction was a huge shock. Having an ability to smash all types of bowlers makes him a great option to have.
Smith has struck at an incredible rate of 179 in the shorter format since last year while averaging 28. He could be the perfect aggressive partner to Rahul. However, after getting stung by two English players in recent years, Delhi Capitals might not be too keen to sign another.
Shai Hope has improved his T20 game significantly in the last couple of years. He has the ability to score big runs at a good rate, making him a decent candidate to be the Ben Duckett replacement.
Hope has amassed over 2,100 runs in the shorter format since last year at an average of 36.58. But his strike rate of 129 doesn’t look impressive. He has hit three centuries and 13 half centuries in this period. Hope plays for Delhi Capitals’ sister franchise Pretoria Capitals in SA20, and that could go in his favour.
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Jonny Bairstow could be an excellent pick as the Ben Duckett replacement. He is a destructive hitter with experience in the IPL as well as around the globe. He joined Mumbai Indians last season as a temporary replacement, and hammered 85 runs at a strike rate of 184.78.
Bairstow has played 52 matches in the league, scoring 1,674 runs at an average of 34.87 while striking at 146. He can complement Rahul well as an aggressive partner in the IPL 2026.
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