As Delhi Capitals are set to play their first match on April 1 against Lucknow Super Giants, one of the main talking points is who will bat at No. 3 in their lineup.
The franchise has confirmed that KL Rahul will open the innings, and Pathum Nissanka could be his partner. He had a brilliant T20 World Cup 2026, especially that century he scored against Australia, which was very special. Because of that, DC might be tempted to go with him as Rahul’s opening partner.
We already know that Ben Duckett has withdrawn from the tournament a few days ago, but they still have many options who can be contenders for the No. 3 spot to complete the top order.
Let’s take a look at all the options Delhi Capitals have and their recent form.
After going unsold in the previous auction, Prithvi Shaw was signed by Delhi Capitals for 75 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction. Recently, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, he scored 183 runs in seven matches at an average of 26.14 and a strike rate of 160.52. After that, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 193 runs in six matches at an average of 32.16. He can be a good option at No. 3, but he has mostly played as an opener. If he moves to the opening slot, Delhi Capitals will need to adjust their batting order.
Abishek Porel could be another option for the top order. In the previous IPL season, he scored 301 runs in 13 matches at an average of 25.08 and a strike rate of 146.82. Recently, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, playing for Bengal, the wicketkeeper batter scored 225 runs in seven innings at an average of 32.14 and a strike rate of 175.78. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 241 runs at an average of 60.25. He has the ability to bat at No. 3 and has already played both as an opener and at No. 3.
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Karun Nair is a strong option for No. 3. In IPL 2025, he scored 198 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 172.17. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he did not have a great campaign, scoring only 71 runs in six innings at an average of 11.83 and a strike rate of 112.69. However, he found form again in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 412 runs in nine innings at an average of 68.66.
Nitish Rana has been signed by Delhi Capitals through a trade from Rajasthan Royals. He will be playing at his home ground, and his recent form has been good. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, he scored 274 runs in seven innings at an average of 45.66 and a strike rate of 148.91. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 255 runs in eight matches at an average of 42.50. He has experience of batting at No. 3 in the IPL and also played at that position for Delhi in SMAT 2025. He is one of the strongest contenders for this role.
Sameer Rizvi represented Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 and scored 191 runs at an average of 27.28 and a strike rate of 135.46. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he scored 238 runs in seven innings at an average of 59.50. He is mainly a middle order batter but can also bat at No. 3 or No. 4 if needed.
Looking at recent form and experience, Nitish Rana looks like the best option to bat at No. 3. He has been consistent in recent white ball tournaments and is comfortable at that position. He will also be playing at his home ground, so he knows the conditions well. Therefore Delhi Capitals might go with Nitish Rana.
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