IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals Strengthen Coaching Staff With Appointment Of Ian Bell As Assistant Coach

IPL 2026: Delhi Capitals (DC) have appointed former England cricketer Ian Bell as the franchise’s Assistant Coach ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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Ian Bell To Join DC Coaching Staff Led By Hemang Badani

Bell will work alongside Head Coach Hemang Badani, Assistant Coach Matthew Mott, and Team Mentor Kevin Pietersen as part of the Delhi-based franchise’s support staff. The Capitals’ backroom team also includes Venugopal Rao, serving as Director of Cricket, and Munaf Patel, who has taken charge as Bowling Coach.

Delhi Capitals announced the appointment by sharing a post on their official social media handle.

“The England great is now a Dilliwala. Welcome home, Ian Bell,” the franchise wrote on X.

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Ian Bell's Numbers For England

Ian Bell made his England debut in Test cricket in August 2004. He went on to play 118 Tests and 205 innings, scoring 7,727 runs at an average of 42.69 and a strike rate of 49.46. The top-order batter registered 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries in red-ball cricket before playing his final Test in November 2015.

The 43-year-old began his ODI career in November 2004 and featured in 161 matches, scoring 5,416 runs at an average of 37.87 and a strike rate of 77.16. He recorded four centuries and 35 fifties in the format, and also picked up six wickets in six innings. Bell played his last ODI in March 2015.

His T20I career was brief, with eight matches in which he scored 188 runs at an average of 26.85 and a strike rate of 115.33, including one half-century.

Delhi Capitals had a strong start to the 18th season of the IPL but failed to maintain consistency. The franchise narrowly missed out on the playoffs, finishing fifth in the IPL 2025 standings with 15 points from 14 matches and a net run rate of +0.011.