New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Delhi Capitals spinner Vipraj Nigam said the time between last year’s IPL and the ongoing season has been transformative for his development as a cricketer, where he featured in a full domestic campaign for Uttar Pradesh and had exposure to India A matches.
Nigam had a mixed time in his first IPL stint with Delhi Capitals last year – starting brightly with seven wickets in his first five innings at an economy rate of 8.9 before having a dip by picking six wickets in his next nine games at 9.4 runs per over.
With his leg-spin, Nigam was notably more effective against left‑handers, striking every 16 balls compared to 25.7 against right‑handers, with five of his 11 wickets coming against the southpaws.
Nigam has impressed in domestic T20s since the IPL, finishing as the second‑highest wicket‑taker in the UP T20 League 2025 with 20 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 7.8. He also led Uttar Pradesh’s bowling in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, claiming 13 wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 7.4.
In between, he played for India A in the 50-over games against Australia A, picking up 2-17 in the T20 World Cup warm-up game against Namibia. “Actually, there have been a lot of changes. Like you said, I have played the entire domestic season for Uttar Pradesh. I have played matches for the India A team.
“So, somewhere or the other, all the things that I had learnt in IPL last year, I learnt a lot more from being there. Like, new dressing room, new players who were with me in India A, and they were India’s top players who were already representing the Indian team.
“So, sharing the dressing room and learning new skills from them – all those things were very good, and I am trying to learn all those things. Even the tournaments that I have played here, the practice sessions before coming to IPL, I have tried to bring the same thing in all of them,” said Nigam to IANS on the ‘JioStar Press Room’ during TATA IPL 2026 Rivalry Week.
Nigam, who’s played three IPL 2026 games so far and picked just one wicket, showered rich praise for wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, whose ability to read the game from behind the stumps and communicate with younger bowlers in real time left a lasting impression on him.
“Actually, as everyone knows, KL bhaiya is the keeper in the game. So, behind the stumps, if anything happens, how the wicket is going, or if the batter is trying to do something specific, he always comes and shares with me if I am coming to bowl. Even in fielding time, he sees everything so well.
“He does everything because in such a crowd and so much noise around, Axar bhaiya can’t make changes all the time – so KL bhaiya’s role becomes the most important in this scenario as a wicket-keeper because he himself goes and talks to the bowlers. Like us youngsters, whoever is playing in the game, how to involve them and remove pressure from them, he does all these things very well,” he said.
DC, who are yet to win the IPL, have suffered back-to-back defeats after winning their first two games. But Nigam was emphatic that the mood inside the camp is still upbeat and that they can look to get back to winning ways when they take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“Morale is still high. Yes, we are coming after losing the last two games. But whatever mistakes we have made, we have time to settle and work on them. Whatever mistakes we have made in the last few games, we have worked on them.
“Hopefully, we will make a comeback from this game. But the morale is still high as the team is in form. All the senior players and the coaching staff have given freedom to the team,” he said.
Asked about how the DC coaching staff stays in touch with players when IPL is not on, Nigam elaborated on how they have maintained consistent contact throughout the year and regularly check in on how they fare in various competitions.
“We get very little time in the off-season. But whatever time we get, our coaching staff is always in touch with the players. From last year to starting this year’s IPL, I think every week I talk to them about what we are doing, how we are performing in domestic games, and how bowling and batting are going.
“They even ask how we are training and if any problem is being faced, or if any aspect of the game needs work, or when we are free? The entire coaching staff is always in touch with you.
“From the beginning of the IPL to now, you will never feel that you want to ask, or you are in doubt, or you are not able to share certain things. The coaching staff has treated all the players so well that no one feels like that. Even after the IPL, I never felt like that,” he concluded.
Catch Delhi Capitals in action against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in TATA IPL 2026’s Rivalry Week, April 18, 3:30 PM onwards, LIVE and Exclusive on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
–IANS
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