Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings will once again begin their quest for a maiden Indian Premier League title when the 2026 season kicks off on March 28. Both franchises, despite nearly two decades in the competition, are yet to lift the trophy. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who has represented both teams, reflected on their journeys and highlighted key reasons behind their prolonged title drought. Speaking on JioStar, Pathan pointed out that Delhi struggled with talent identification during the early 2010s, which hindered their progress. “When I was in Delhi, Eric Simmons, who is now with CSK as the bowling coach, was the coach, and there was an effort to bring stability. But when you let go of players like AB de Villiers, and you have Andre Russell, starting from scratch is not easy. I played alongside Russell in the same dressing room, and there were a lot of discussions about giving him more opportunities, but they just couldn’t find a place for him consistently in the XI. So, identification of talent is very important, and I feel Delhi used to fall short in that area,” Pathan said. Punjab, on the other hand, have shown signs of progress in recent seasons. Ahead of IPL 2025, the franchise made significant changes by appointing Australian great Ricky Ponting as head coach and signing Shreyas Iyer for ₹26.75 crore. The team enjoyed a strong campaign and reached the final before falling short against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Pathan credited Punjab’s improved leadership and strategic planning for their resurgence. “Leadership has played a huge role in Punjab’s turnaround. You win half the IPL at the auction table. Big purses don’t necessarily mean you will always get what you want, but they did, and they reached the final. Even in the mini-auction, they took bold but important calls, like letting go of players who were not performing, such as Glenn Maxwell,” he explained. He also referred to the situation involving Josh Inglis, noting how circumstances impacted their plans. “They were a bit unfortunate with the Josh Inglis situation, given he would miss most of the season, but then you see another team going after him for a huge price. In that respect, they are making a lot of the right decisions,” Pathan added. Another key improvement, according to Pathan, has been Punjab’s focus on strengthening their squad depth. “Look at the backup players. In the past, Punjab struggled with that when the focus was entirely on building the first XI, but now you see all-rounders like Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen and Marcus Stoinis, along with a young Indian batting core. Apart from that, they went all-out for Shreyas Iyer after deciding he would be the Captain. So, there is clarity of thought, and I feel Punjab have started to move in the right direction,” he concluded. As IPL 2026 approaches, both Delhi and Punjab will be aiming to finally break their title drought, armed with lessons from the past and renewed optimism for the future.
