John Mooney Joins Delhi Capitals as Fielding Coach for IPL 2026

John Mooney, the former Ireland all-rounder, has been appointed as the fielding coach for Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2026 season. This appointment marks a significant milestone as he becomes the first Irish coach in the IPL. Mooney brings a wealth of coaching experience, having previously worked with Afghanistan and the West Indies. The Delhi Capitals, who finished fifth last season, are gearing up for their campaign, starting with a match against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1. With a strong squad in place, fans are eager to see how the team performs this season.

By Narendra Chaudhary Mar 19, 2026, 15:02 IST

John Mooney Takes on New Role

Former all-rounder from Ireland, John Mooney, has been appointed as the fielding coach for Delhi Capitals (DC) in preparation for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. This marks a significant milestone as Mooney becomes the first Irish coach to be part of an IPL franchise's coaching staff. He succeeds Gnaneswara Rao and Anton Roux, who previously held this position.

Delhi Capitals' Coaching Team

In his new role, Mooney will collaborate with head coach Hemang Badani, bowling coach Munaf Patel, assistant coach Ian Bell, and cricket director Venugopal Rao throughout the IPL 2026 season.

Mooney's Coaching Background

Mooney brings a wealth of coaching experience to the team, having served as the fielding coach for Afghanistan from 2018 to 2019, which included their historic Test debut in India. Additionally, he has worked with the West Indies men's team in 2019 and briefly coached the Ireland women's team last year.

Overview of Mooney's Playing Career

During his playing days, Mooney represented Ireland in 64 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 27 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) from 2006 to 2015. He participated in three ODI World Cups (2007, 2011, 2015) and two T20 World Cups (2009, 2010). After retiring in 2015, he completed coaching certifications at Levels 1, 2, and 3 from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Delhi Capitals' Upcoming IPL 2026 Matches

Last season, the Delhi Capitals finished fifth in the points table, failing to qualify for the playoffs. With the BCCI announcing the schedule for the first phase of IPL 2026, the Capitals will kick off their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1. Their subsequent matches include a clash with the Mumbai Indians on April 4, followed by games against the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings on April 8 and April 11, respectively.

Delhi Capitals Squad for IPL 2026

The squad for IPL 2026 includes: Nitish Rana, Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, and Kyle Jamieson.