Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani is backing young pacer Auqib Nabi to come good, despite a challenging debut in the Indian Premier League.
Badani’s Confidence in Nabi’s Potential
Badani highlighted Nabi’s temperament and consistency as key reasons for the team’s faith in him. He noted Nabi’s ability to maintain equilibrium regardless of performance fluctuations. “There are two things why we went hard for him — his temperament and consistency,” Badani explained. “He has maintained equilibrium. Many players react differently to ups and downs, but he has been the same throughout.”
Badani believes Nabi possesses the necessary skills to excel at a higher level. He acknowledged the nerves associated with a debut appearance, but remains optimistic about Nabi’s future contributions. “He has the skill-set to play at a higher level. Everyone has nerves in the first game, but I think he will do well for us,” he added.
Delhi Capitals Aim to Address Concerns
The Delhi Capitals are aiming to bounce back after successive defeats in IPL 2026. Badani insists the team has identified and addressed areas of concern ahead of their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Delhi have slipped into the bottom half of the table after defeats to Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.
Despite the losses, Badani downplayed concerns around momentum, focusing on clarity within the squad. “There is a lot of conversation about momentum in tournaments like this,” Badani said. “But I think it is more about finding out what the area of concern is for a certain side. We have kind of figured out, or at least we think we have addressed that issue.”
Batting Performance and Areas for Improvement
Badani expressed confidence in his team’s batting ability to deliver competitive totals. “We have scored 190 and 200. We lost a game by one run. In the last game as well, we scored around 180–190. It is a question of our batters coming good at that point in time. I think we will be okay,” he added.
Inconsistency is a major concern for Delhi. Experienced players like KL Rahul, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs have struggled for rhythm, while Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are yet to hit top form.
While Delhi search for consistency, RCB have emerged as one of the most balanced sides this season, led by an in-form Virat Kohli, who currently holds the Orange Cap.
RCB’s batting no longer revolves solely around Kohli, with contributions from Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt and Tim David strengthening their lineup.
Delhi Capitals face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.