It would be lovely if either of Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings win the Indian Premier League this season. Their fans have been waiting for their first trophy 18 years now.
It’s not a great feeling when you see Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings lifting the trophy every now and then. Both have won the league five times each. Then there is Kolkata Knight Riders who have done it thrice.
There was plenty of consolation in that Royal Challengers Bengaluru, boasting the best batsman of this generation, Virat Kohli, had not won it either. But last year, RCB won it too, leaving DC and PBKS fans more restless than ever before. PBKS fans would have been particularly gutted as they were on the losing side in the final.
Talking about Delhi first, it’s not that they have had lesser players over the years. In fact, readers will remember that in the first few seasons of the IPL, they were the most dangerous team on paper. They proved it on the ground too, but in the most important matches, the semifinals in 2008 and 2009, they came unstuck.
Big players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, David Warner, Rishabh Pant, Amit Mishra, Shikhar Dhawan and many others have been in their ranks over the years, but to no avail. 2011 onwards the IPL format changed to the play-offs, and over next several years they struggled in the league.
Last hurdles too much to cross for Delhi and Punjab!
In 2018, they changed their name from Delhi Daredevils to Delhi Capitals, and for three years in a row, they reached the play-offs, including the final in 2020, but the final few hurdles always proved too much for them.
Punjab, on the other hand, have played the final twice in 2014 (then they were called Kings XI Punjab) and 2025. If truth be told, they were hot favourites to beat Kolkata Knight Riders after a Wriddhiman Saha ton in 2014, but Manish Pandey sparkled out of nowhere to deny them. Then last year when RCB scored just 190 on a belter of a wicket at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the celebrations had already begun among their fans, only to see a couple of hours later their team fall short by six runs.
Last year, when they qualified for the play-offs, this was their first play-off in 11 years.
Like Delhi, they have boasted big players like Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Sehwag, David Miller, and Glenn Maxwell in their ranks over the years, but sadly, there is no trophy to speak of.
Of all 10 IPL teams in 2026, only Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants haven’t won the league. But LSG is only a few years old, having made their debut in 2022, and they can wait. Delhi and Punjab can’t wait any longer.
When Gujarat Titans made their debut alongside LSG in 2022 and went on to win the trophy, one can imagine the pain and anguish Delhi and Punjab fans would have felt. Delhi captain Axar Patel and Punjab captain Shreyas Iyer would know of these high expectations for sure.
Neither is from northern India. Iyer comes from Mumbai, while Patel comes from Gujarat. They both know what legendary status awaits them in these parts if they can lay their hands on the elusive trophy. It will be good for the IPL, too, if one of these two wins this time around. Their fans have been dormant a long time now. Their coming back to life will be good for the league, make no mistake.