Delhi Capitals have strengthened their support staff before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. The franchise has appointed former England batter Ian Bell as their new assistant coach. The team confirmed the decision on Tuesday. This will be Bell’s first role in the IPL.
Bell is regarded as one of England’s finest batters of his era. He enjoyed a long and successful international career. He played 118 Test matches, 161 One Day Internationals, and eight T20 Internationals for England. He retired from professional cricket in 2020.
After retirement, Bell quickly moved into coaching. He has worked at different levels and gained valuable experience. He has been involved with England Lions and England Under-19 teams. His work focused on player development and identifying young talent.
Coaching experience continues to grow for Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2026
Bell also worked with Sri Lanka’s Test side. He served as batting coach during Sri Lanka’s 2024 tour of England. This gave him exposure to international dressing rooms in a coaching role.
He also had a short coaching assignment with New Zealand’s men’s team before the 2023 ODI World Cup. In franchise cricket, Bell worked in The Hundred competition. He assisted Birmingham Phoenix in the men’s tournament.
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At Delhi Capitals, Bell will join the coaching unit led by Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao. He will work alongside head coach Hemang Badani and bowling coach Munaf Patel. The appointment follows changes in the support staff. Australian coach Matthew Mott had served as assistant coach during the IPL 2025 season.
Delhi Capitals had an inconsistent IPL 2025 campaign. The team started well but later lost form. They finished fifth in the points table and narrowly missed the playoffs. The franchise hopes Bell’s experience and fresh ideas will help the team improve and mount a stronger challenge in IPL 2026.
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