Delhi Capitals bought him for INR 2 crore at IPL 2026 auction.
Newly-recruited Delhi Capitals (DC) pacer Lungi Ngidi took a fabulous hat-trick in the SA20 2026 fixture between Durban’s Super Giants and Pretoria Capitals in Durban. He put on a death-over bowling masterclass in a crunch situation to help his team win.
His first wicket in the hat-trick came on the second delivery of the 18th over, where he bowled a slower delivery outside the off-stump line. David Wiese tried to whack it down the ground, but was early in his shot, resulting in no timing and a catch by Jordan Cox.
On the next ball, Lungi Ngidi targeted a short delivery into Sunil Narine’s body to cramp him for room, and the batter couldn’t time it properly and was caught at mid-on. Later, on the fifth delivery, the pacer again employed a dipping off-cutter, on which Gerald Coetzee was also early in his shot and holed out to deep midwicket, giving Ngidi a well-deserved hat-trick.
This was the first hat-trick in SA20 history, and Lungi Ngidi goes into the record books for his outstanding achievement just when the Capitals needed it the most. He ended with figures of 4-0-39-3, and his efforts resulted in a 15-run win for Pretoria Capitals, who bounced back strongly after an embarrassing defeat.
Lungi Ngidi joined Delhi Capitals (DC) at his base price of INR 2 crore at the IPL 2026 auction. He is unlikely to be part of the starting XI, since DC already have the likes of Mitchell Starc and Dushmantha Chameera.
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The four overseas players for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026 might be Ben Duckett, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, and Mitchell Starc. Hence, Lungi Ngidi will get a chance if Starc gets injured or requires rest, and DC can also opt for one of Chameera and Kyle Jamieson ahead of Ngidi.
The issue with him is that he relies heavily on his slower ones in this format, and the pitches in Delhi, or anywhere for that matter, won’t have enough grip in IPL. Hence, his variations will become futile, making him vulnerable across phases.
Hence, DC might prefer someone like Chameera, who brings excess pace and can hit hard lengths in the middle overs, or Jamieson, who can move the new ball with decent death-over value. Lungi Ngidi won’t have enough chances, but the Delhi Capitals won’t mind having someone with as much experience as him in the backup options.
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