New Delhi: As Delhi Capitals find themselves on the receiving end of yet another Indian Premier League season of unrealised potential, batting coach Ian Bell admitted to the franchise’s performances defined by inconsistency and instability.
The team’s failure to build settled combinations was indicated as one of the primary factors that separates IPL’s top teams from the bottom half.
Ahead of Delhi’s clash against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday—their last fixture at home— Bell pointed to the team’s wildly fluctuating performances as a clear reflection of their campaign.
“We have to accept, and it has been a crazy season for that, the fact that we scored 265 here and then followed that up by getting bowled out for 70,” Bell told reporters ahead of the fixture. “You can’t win competitions if you’re that inconsistent and I think we have to accept that reality.”
Delhi’s inability to capitalise on home advantage for the last two seasons has often come under scrutiny. Their win over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala has kept DC still alive in the tournament, but they lie seventh in the points table with 10 points. RR, with all focus on their teenaged opening sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, are fifth and just one point behind PBKS, the fourth-placed team.
DC’s performances at home have been really poor. Since they beat Mumbai Indians in their first game of IPL 2026 at home, they have lost five matches in a row. Their wobbly batting has played a part, and they have appeared surprised by the pitch conditions.
However, Bell refused to use that as an excuse.
“I know there’s been a lot of talk about the wicket, but again you can’t use that as an excuse too much. It’s the same for both teams,” he said.
Instead, Bell identified instability in the batting line-up as one of the major reasons behind Delhi’s inability to sustain momentum through the season. Comparing DC with the tournament’s leading sides, Bell said the lack of settled roles had hurt the team.
“When you look at the top four teams at the moment, there is a lot of consistency in the batting line up, certainly in the top four. However, the combinations haven’t quite worked for us,” he said.
Bell also suggested that several players had failed to capitalise on the opportunities handed to them.
“When you get your chance at this level and in any franchise, especially here, you have to grab it with both hands,” he said. “I don’t think anyone quite yet has made himself undroppable by performance.”