"They shouldn’t get confused": Ex-DC coach warns team over KL Rahul’s batting order ahead of IPL 2026

The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is just weeks away. The first 20 matches of the tournament have been scheduled due to the Assembly Elections in India. Delhi Capitals (DC) have already started their camp for the IPL, and slowly, the players are joining the franchise for the training sessions ahead of the toughest T20 league.

Delhi Capitals started well last season won five of their first six matches under captain Axar Patel. Despite their good start, they eventually failed to qualify for the playoffs due to a collapse in the second part of the campaign, losing five out of the eight games in the second half.

KL Rahul's batting position in doubt?

DC had been a side that went on to do a musical chair in their batting order, which was one of the reasons for their collapse in the latter half of the tournament. Ahead of the new season, former DC coach Mohammad Kaif has dropped his batting order for KL Rahul.

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KL Rahul has been a batter who has been experimented with the most in all positions, which brings its own challenges, and has performed well. However, Kaif believes that the stylish batter should open the innings for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2026.

I think he will open- Mohammad Kaif on KL Rahul

“I think he will open, and he should open only. He has a fabulous record as an opener. If we talk about the last three or four years, his graph, when it comes to strike rate, has gone up a lot. I feel they shouldn’t get confused,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

“The problem is that they ask KL Rahul to bat at No. 4 or do the finishing role. He should go and play his game, and as an opener. They have David Miller and Tristan Stubbs as well this time.”

“You open, and back your shots and game. A massive change was seen in his batting last year. He improved his game in the power play, and he alone won a few matches,” Kaif observed.

DC this time has a lot of options with opener as they bought Ben Duckett, Pathum Nissanka, and have the option of KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, and Karun Nair as well. With five openers, they need to sort them down quickly to have their best XI from the very start.

Delhi Capitals have strong middle order

Kaif also lauded Miller’s buy by Delhi for the upcoming season, he said it will further add balance. This time, DC has a strong middle order in terms of David Miller, Abhishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, and Ashutosh Sharma.

Kaif further said, “The biggest thing is David Miller. He will bat at No. 5 or No. 6 on that Delhi pitch, and he is in great form. So they have done two things. They have filled their squad with a lot of openers and brought in Miller.”

“Spinners were their strength from earlier, and they have a few fast bowlers as well. It’s looking like a more balanced team compared to last year.”

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