As the Indian Premier League (IPL) gears up to start on March 28, excitement is building among fans and players alike. While the schedule for the first 20 matches has been released, Delhi Capitals’ Ashutosh Sharma took some time to discuss his expected contributions to the team. He aims to play a crucial role by finishing games in the number six or seven positions.
“Our preparations are going exceptionally well. We’ve participated in 3-4 pre-season camps, and my role will mirror last year’s, focusing on finishing matches for the team in critical positions. My goal is to secure as many victories as possible,” Sharma expressed.
The 27-year-old cricketer also shared that he remains unfazed by the pressure of performing in front of massive crowds, a hallmark of the IPL experience. “When I’m on the field, the pressure doesn’t get to me. I trust in my skills and the hard work I’ve put in. This season, I haven’t introduced any new shots; it’s all about refining my existing game,” he added.
The IPL 2026 is set to kick off with the inaugural match featuring the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Delhi Capitals will launch their campaign on April 1 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow.
**IPL 2026 Squads**
**Lucknow Super Giants:** Mitchell Marsh, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anrich Nortje, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Aiden Markram, Avesh Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Himmar Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), M Siddharth, Moshin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Arjun Tendulkar, Akash Singh, Abdul Samad, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Mayank Yadav, M Choudhary (WK), Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi.
**Delhi Capitals:** David Miller, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, KL Rahul (WK), Karun Nair, Axar Patel (C), Ben Duckett (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Pathum Nissanka, Ajay Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel (WK), Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay, Sahil Parakh, Madhav Tiwari.