Who is Dev Chaudhary? DPL 2026 player whose selection drew criticism over batting credentials

Dev Chaudhary, a 22-year-old batter associated with the New Delhi Tigers, became the centre of social-media banter after videos of him batting and fielding in a very unconventional style went viral. The Delhi Premier League (DPL) was designed as a platform for emerging cricketers from Delhi to showcase their skills alongside some established names in Indian cricket from the capital city of India. However, the basic framework was put under the scanner because one relatively unfamiliar name has attracted an unusually large amount of attention away from the field.

Dev Chaudhary was dropped by the New Delhi Tigers for their August 24 clash against South Delhi Superstarz.

The most controversial part of the Chaudhary debate has been his selection to the New Delhi Tigers side. While many reports claimed he was never part of the DPL 2026 auction, others contradicted that, saying the New Delhi Tigers picked him for INR 1 lakh. However, it holds true that there is relatively very little documented information about his cricket career before the DPL. Some reports have linked him to a DDCA Under-19 preliminary trial document from 2021, where he was listed as an all-rounder. His mentioned attributes were middle-order batting and right-arm seam bowling. This lack of substantial publicly available senior records has led to the social media conundrum.

During DPL 2026, Chaudhary featured as an opener for the New Delhi Tigers, despite the minimum documentation found relevant to his identity as a cricketer mentioning him as a middle-order batter. His first appearance came against South Delhi Superstarz, where he ended up with a two-ball duck. His second opportunity came against the West Delhi Lions on August 19, where he scored 16 runs from 24 balls, hitting three boundaries. Across his first two DPL innings, he managed to score 16 runs from 26 deliveries before being dropped for the third game. The modest numbers at the back of his lack of a substantial record intensified the criticism because fans were already discussing his unusual stance. His fielding also came under scrutiny after a video online appeared to show him struggling to complete routine catches during a practice drill.

Though there is currently no confirmed evidence of the player being associated with any kind of selection fraud, the term ‘fraud’ has been frequently used by some sections of social media. Any official confirmation from the DDCA or the New Delhi Tigers is not available as of now.

The inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League T20 was officially inaugurated on August 17, 2024.

No single team has won the Delhi Premier League T20 more than once, as different champions have emerged in each completed season, East Delhi Riders in 2024 and West Delhi Lions in 2025.

Subhomoy Datta has been a sports writer since 2022. He holds a BSc in Microbiology from Rastraguru Surendranath College, WBSU, and is currently pursuing his master’s at NIT Surathkal. With a growing interest in sports journalism, he enjoys following the game closely and turning sporting moments into stories for fans.