After playing only four games for Mumbai Indians in the 2022 and 2023 IPL seasons, people weren’t really sure what Tristan Stubbs would bring to the Delhi Capitals (DC) after they picked him up in the 2024 auction. But Stubbs fit right in for DC. He became their go-to finisher and scored the second-most runs for them in IPL 2024, racking up 378 runs with a killer strike rate of 190.90 and an average of 54.
Fans loved how good he was at scoring runs all over the field, smashing pull, sweep, slog, and reverse shots.
Since then, things have been going great for Stubbs in international cricket with South Africa – playing in the 2024 T20 World Cup final and hitting Test centuries against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Plus, DC kept him for Rs 10 crore, and he made 232 runs in the 2025 SA20 season.
When IANS asked him in a team chat about why he’s been so successful with his batting, Stubbs said it was mostly because of a mental shift.
It was a big mental thing. I was doing some dumb things out there, so I learned how to keep my cool when things got tough. Now, I hope I can keep improving and do that when it really counts, he said.
In IPL 2024, Stubbs had an insane strike rate of 297.33 in the final overs (16-20), which was the result of all the work he put into his power-hitting. “Yeah, I do it quite a bit. I like practicing my range hitting to see the ball fly over the fence and to find my swing.
“When we switch to T20 training, the first thing I do is try to find my swing again, and then I go from there, he added.
For foreign batters, it’s important to handle spin well on Indian pitches to score big runs on those flat tracks. Stubbs has figured that out over his three IPL trips to India.
“It’s different here. There’s a lot of spin, so you got to be good at playing it. Sometimes you need backup plans because your first plan might not work. You need to have options and commit to them if you think it’s the right thing.
“Sometimes the pitches can help you, and sometimes you look at the scoreboard and think you need to score way more than you actually do. You have to find a balance. You might think you need 20 an over, but you can do it with a couple of sixes and fours. Still, it always feels like a long way off until you’re out there.
Stubbs can also bowl and keep wickets. When asked which he likes more, he said, “I really enjoy keeping in South Africa because you can stand far back, and the ball carries well. I don’t think I’d like it as much when it’s turning all the time.
DC has a new captain in Axar Patel for IPL 2025, and Stubbs is sure he can lead the team to a trophy. “Just having him in the team is great. He’s one of the best players right now.
“He was captain last year against RCB when Rishabh Pant was out, and he was really calm and made the bowlers feel calm. Hopefully he can do that this year, and we can feed off that.
Despite all his success, Stubbs makes sure to stay in touch with the people who helped him become the player he is today. One of those people is Mike Smith, who noticed him when he was the Director of Cricket at Grey High School in Gqeberha.
Stubbs liked Julian Wood’s power-hitting coaching methods and trained Stubbs in those skills. That training has had a big impact on everyone who sees him bat for DC, South Africa, or Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
“It’s been really important. I still talk to him a lot. He was my coach in school, and then I went to him in college. Throughout my career, I give him a call whenever I need some help. He’s been a really big person for me, Stubbs said.
