3 opening combinations DC can try in IPL 2026 ft. Ben Duckett & KL Rahul

Delhi Capitals (DC) purchased eight players at the IPL 2026 auction that was held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16. They looked to rebuild their squad after a mixed IPL 2025 season. Despite winning their first four games, Delhi failed to reach the playoffs. DC entered the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi with a purse of ₹21.80 crore and eight slots to fill, five of them being overseas slots.

Auqib Dar, the uncapped pacer from Jammu & Kashmir, was their biggest purchase at ₹8.40 crore. DC also bought Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka for ₹4 crore, while four other overseas players were purchased for a base price of ₹2 crore - Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, Ben Duckett and David Miller. Further, Prithvi Shaw was bought for ₹75 lakh and Maharashtra batter Sahil Parakh for ₹30 lakh.

Top order batting was one area in which DC faltered in a big way in the IPL 2025 edition. The franchise tried various players like Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Karun Nair, among others, in the opening position but still could not get the desired results. Following the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, we look at three fresh opening combinations the franchise can try out in the IPL 2026 edition.

#1 KL Rahul & Ben Duckett

DC can look to open the innings with KL Rahul and dashing England batter Duckett. Rahul has vast experience of opening the batting in the Indian T20 league, although he is equally adept at batting in the middle order as well. Looking at Rahul's record as an opener in the IPL, he has played 103 matches so far and has scored 4,418 runs at an average of 49.64 and a strike rate of 138.14.

As for Duckett, he is yet to feature in the IPL, but has displayed his aggressive skills on a consistent basis across all formats. The southpaw has a strike rate of 86 in Test matches and 153 in T20Is. If he gets going, Duckett can be unstoppable. The batter is definitely a good addition to the DC squad for IPL 2026. However, it will be important for the team management to utilize his skills in a smart manner.

#2 KL Rahul & Pathum Nissanka

Rahul and Nissanka is another opening combination DC could think of trying out in the IPL 2026 edition. Nissanka is not known for his big-hitting skills. However, the right-handed batter has played some terrific knocks in the International League T20 (ILT20). In fact, Nissanka is currently the leading run-getter in the tournament, with 243 runs in six innings at an average of 40.50 and a strike rate of 186.92.

The Sri Lankan batter has smashed three fifties in ILT20 2025-26. Representing Gulf Giants, Nissanka clobbered 81 off 42 against MI Emirates and followed it up with 67 off 31 against Dubai Capitals and 56 off just 29 balls against Desert Vipers. The right-handed batter has clearly upped his stroke-making ability in the T20 format. DC can put his skill to test by getting him to open with Rahul in IPL 2026.

#3 Ben Duckett & Prithvi Shaw

Duckett and Prithvi Shaw is a rather intriguing combination DC could consider for the opening slot in IPL 2026. Both batters love to go after the bowling. If they can get going in the powerplay, Duckett and Shaw could make life difficult for the opposition. Apart from being aggressive batters, them opening will also give Delhi a left-right combination at the top of the order.

Shaw, who went unsold at last year's auction, will rejoin the Delhi franchise for the IPL 2026 season. The 26-year-old played a couple of blazing knocks for Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26. The right-handed batter smashed 66 off 36 against Hyderabad, clobbering nine fours and three sixes. He also scored 66 off 30 balls against Bihar, with the aid of 11 fours and a six.

Edited by Renin Wilben Albert