• Parents:
  Late Ram Lal Nikhanj (Father)
  Late Raj Kumari Lajwanti (Mother)
• Siblings:
  Ramesh Nikhanj
  Bhushan Nikhanj
  Naresh
  Manju
  Neeru
  Pinky Gill
• Spouse:
  Romi Bhatia
• Children:
  Amiya Dev

He completed his education up to the 12th grade, graduating from D.A.V. School.

• Kapil Dev made an impressive debut for Haryana in November 1975 against Punjab, taking 6 wickets and helping Haryana to victory. He finished the season with 121 wickets in 30 matches.
• In the 1976–77 season opener against Jammu & Kashmir, he took 8/36. He also recorded his best innings haul of 8/20 against Bengal, helping Haryana restrict them to 58 runs. Haryana lost to Bombay in the quarter-finals.
• Kapil Dev claimed his first 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket with 8/38 and 3 wickets in the second innings against Services. He was selected for the Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Wills Trophy.
• After a mediocre season with 12 wickets in 4 matches, Kapil scored two half-centuries and took a 5-wicket haul against Bengal. He gained national recognition with 7/65 in the Duleep Trophy finals, earning a spot in the North Zone squad.
• Kapil Dev scored a career-best 193 against Delhi and captained Haryana for the first time, taking five wickets against Uttar Pradesh. As his place in the national squad was solidified, his appearances in domestic matches became less frequent.

• Kapil Dev made his Test debut against Pakistan on 16 October 1978 in Faisalabad. Despite unimpressive match figures, he impressed with his pace and bouncers, forcing the Pakistani batsmen to duck and take blows to the helmet repeatedly. He took his maiden wicket, Sadiq Mohammad, with an outswinger.
• During the 3rd Test at Karachi, he scored India's fastest Test half-century in 33 balls, including two sixes, though India lost the match and series 2-0.
• In the series against the West Indies, he scored his maiden Test century (126) at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, and took 17 wickets at an average of 33.
• During his first tour outside the subcontinent, he took his first 5-wicket haul against England, claiming all their wickets in the match, though at a high cost (146 runs off 48 overs).
• His ODI debut came during India's tour of Pakistan, but his performance, like the team's, was disappointing during the 1979 Cricket World Cup.
• Dev established himself as India's top fast bowler with two 5-wicket hauls and 28 wickets (average 22.32) against Australia in the 1979-80 home series, alongside 212 runs, including a half-century.
• In the 1979-80 home series against Pakistan, Dev led India to two victories, first with a 69-run knock at Wankhede Stadium and then with an all-round performance at Chepauk, taking 10 wickets in the match and scoring 84 runs.
• Dev rated his all-round performance in this match as his best, with his second-innings figures of 7/56 marking his best bowling performance at the time.
• During the series, he became the youngest player to achieve the all-round double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs in just 25 Test matches. He finished the series with 32 wickets (average 17.68) and 278 runs, which included two fifties.

Kapil Dev married Romi Bhatia in 1980.

They have a daughter, Amiya Dev, born on January 16, 1996.

• Kapil Dev played county cricket in England for Northamptonshire between 1981 and 1983, and for Worcestershire during the 1984 and 1985 seasons.
• He played a total of 40 first-class matches during his county career.
• Kapil scored 2,312 runs across 64 innings, including four centuries and 14 half-centuries.
• Out of his 835 overall first-class wickets, 103 wickets were taken in county cricket.

• During India's 1980–81 tour of Australia, India was 1–0 down and defending just 143 runs, with Kapil Dev sidelined by a groin injury. Despite the injury, Dev played the final day of the match with pain-killing injections and took 5 wickets for 28 runs (16.4–4–28–5), performing among his five best.
• On the same tour, he scored his first ODI fifty against New Zealand in Brisbane.
• Despite early struggles in ODIs, Dev had 278 runs (average 17.38) and 17 wickets in his first 16 matches.
• After a dismal tour of New Zealand, Dev returned to form in the 1981–82 home series against England, taking a five-wicket haul to win the first Test at Wankhede Stadium. He scored 318 runs (average 53) including 1 century and 1 fifty, and took 22 wickets (including 2 five-wicket hauls), earning the “Man of the Series” award.
• In the 1982 series against England at home, Dev opened with a five-wicket haul and 130 runs at Lord’s in a losing cause. He finished the series with 292 runs (average 73), including 3 fifties, and 10 wickets, again winning the “Man of the Series” award.
• In the 1982–83 season, Dev took a five-wicket haul in the series against Sri Lanka, marking the start of the season.
• On India's tour of Pakistan, Dev and Mohinder Amarnath were the only standout performers, as the series was dominated by Imran Khan’s all-round displays.
• Dev took 5/102 in the second Test, 7/220 in the third Test, and 8/85 in the fourth Test, but received little support from the rest of the team.
• After this disappointing tour, Dev was appointed the captain of the Indian cricket team, replacing Sunil Gavaskar.

• After India's 1983 World Cup win, the West Indies toured India and dominated both the Test and ODI series, winning 3–0 in Tests and 5–0 in ODIs.
• Despite the series loss, Dev delivered his best-ever Test bowling performance at Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad, with impressive figures of 9/83.
• Dev's strong bowling performances in both formats were overshadowed by his poor batting form during the series.
• Due to the losses and Dev's decline in batting, the selectors decided to replace him with Sunil Gavaskar as captain in early 1984, ending Dev's captaincy reign.

• Kapil Dev's Captaincy Debut: Dev first captained India in the 1982–83 season against Sri Lanka when Sunil Gavaskar was rested. His first full assignment as captain was during the 1983 tour of the West Indies.
• India's Victory in West Indies (1983): The tour's highlight was a lone ODI victory, where Dev (72 runs) and Gavaskar (90 runs) helped India set a target of 283 runs. Dev also took 2 wickets, aiding India's victory by 27 runs, which boosted India's confidence for the 1983 World Cup.
• 1983 Cricket World Cup Performance: Dev entered the World Cup with an average record in ODIs, but India won their opening match against the West Indies, marking their first-ever World Cup victory against the West Indies.
• Match Against Zimbabwe (1983): Dev played a match-winning knock of 175* (138 balls) against Zimbabwe, which included 16 boundaries and 6 sixes. This record-breaking 9th-wicket partnership with Kirmani (24 runs) helped India win by 31 runs.
• World Cup Semifinals: In the semifinals against England, Dev took 3 wickets as India restricted England to 213. India won with contributions from Amarnath, Yashpal Sharma, and Sandeep Patil.
• World Cup Final (1983): India faced the West Indies in the final. After being restricted to 183 runs, Dev's iconic catch of Viv Richards, running 20 yards backward, is considered a turning point in the match.
• India's World Cup Victory: West Indies collapsed from 50/1 to 76/6, and Dev took the wicket of Andy Roberts. India bowled out West Indies for 140 to win their maiden World Cup. Dev's all-round performance included 303 runs (average 60.6), 12 wickets (average 20.41), and 7 catches.
• Legacy: Dev’s leadership and performance in the 1983 World Cup inspired a generation of cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar.

• In 1985, Dev returned as India's captain after Sunil Gavaskar was dismissed following India's losses to England in both ODI and Test series.
• Under Dev's leadership, India won the Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket by defeating Pakistan in the final.
• India also triumphed in the Rothmans Four-Nations Cup, defeating Australia in the final.
• In 1986, Dev led India to a Test series victory over England in England, winning 2–0. This period also saw the famous second Tied Test, where Dev was named joint-man of the match alongside Australian batsman Dean Jones.
• Dev captained India during the 1987 Cricket World Cup. In a memorable match against Australia, his sportsmanship led to a change in the score after a boundary was mistakenly signaled as a four instead of a six, with India falling short by one run in their chase.
• India reached the semi-finals of the 1987 World Cup but lost to England. Dev faced criticism for his dismissal, which triggered a collapse, leading to India's defeat.
• Following this loss, Dev was no longer appointed as captain, though he served as vice-captain during India's 1989 tour of Pakistan.
• Dev's captaincy was marked by reports of tensions with Gavaskar and his own inconsistent bowling form, though both players later downplayed these reports, with Dev's performance as captain being seen as better than his personal playing form.

Kapil Dev, known as The Haryana Hurricane, was a right-arm pace bowler celebrated for his graceful action and deadly outswinger, making him India's primary strike bowler for much of his career. He also developed a powerful inswinging yorker during the 1980s, which became a potent weapon against tailenders.

As a batsman, Kapil was a natural striker of the ball. His ability to hook and drive effectively made him a formidable presence at the crease. Known for his aggressive playing style, he often played pivotal roles in difficult situations, taking the attack to the opposition and lifting his team's morale.

Kapil Dev represented the Haryana cricket team in domestic cricket, where he was widely admired for his contributions both with the bat and ball.

• In the 1990–91 Ranji season, Haryana reached the semi-finals, with strong performances from Chetan Sharma and Amarjit Kaypee.
• In the semi-final against Bengal, Kapil Dev scored 141 runs and took 5 wickets, helping Haryana post 605 runs.
• The final featured several international cricketers, with Kapil Dev, Chetan Sharma, Ajay Jadeja, and Vijay Yadav representing Haryana, and Sanjay Manjrekar, Vinod Kambli, Sachin Tendulkar, and others representing Bombay.
• Haryana scored 522 runs in the first innings, with contributions from Deepak Sharma (199), Ajay Jadeja (94), and Chetan Sharma (98).
• Kapil Dev (3 wickets) and Yogendra Bhandari (5 wickets) restricted Bombay to 410 runs in the first innings.
• In the second innings, Haryana set a target of 355 runs, with 41 from Kapil Dev and 60 from Banerjee.
• Despite strong knocks from Vengsarkar (139) and Tendulkar (96), Bombay fell short by 3 runs, and Haryana won the match.
• This victory marked Kapil Dev’s maiden and only Ranji Trophy championship.

• Kapil Dev continued as India's lead pace bowler in the early 1990s under various captains.
• In the 1990 Lord's Test, he hit off-spinner Eddie Hemmings for four sixes in succession to help India avoid the follow-on target.
• The match featured Graham Gooch's record-breaking 333, the highest Test score by an Englishman against India.
• Umpire Dickie Bird regarded Kapil as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time.
• He became a valuable ODI pinch-hitter, accelerating run-scoring in the final ten overs and stabilizing innings during collapses.
• In the 1992 Cricket World Cup, Kapil had a strike rate of 125.80 and was part of India's bowling attack alongside younger pacers like Javagal Srinath and Manoj Prabhakar.
• Kapil retired in 1994, having broken Richard Hadlee's record for most Test wickets at the time.

• Kapil Dev was appointed coach of India in 1999, coinciding with Sachin Tendulkar's second term as captain.
• In the first Test series against New Zealand, India bounced back from an 83 all-out to win the second Test, highlighted by Anil Kumble's 10-wicket haul. India won the ODI series 3-2, with a world-record 331-run partnership between Dravid and Tendulkar.
• In the 2000 tour of Australia, India lost the Test series 3-0, with heavy defeats in all three matches, although V. V. S. Laxman scored 167 in the final Test. India's ODI performance was poor, winning just one match against Pakistan.
• India lost the home Test series 2-0 against South Africa, ending their unbeaten home streak since 1987. Off-field controversies surrounded captaincy changes, with Ganguly taking over for the ODI series, which India led 2-0 but lost 3-2. The series was marred by match-fixing allegations involving South Africa's captain, Hansie Cronje.
• In the 2000 triangular series with South Africa and Pakistan, India won just one of four matches and missed the finals.

• Kapil Dev's term as the Indian cricket team's national coach was not considered successful due to poor on-field performances.
• India performed poorly in away matches, with only 3 victories in 15 ODI matches (20%) in ODI tournaments.
• In Test cricket, India lost its first home series in 13 years and won only 1 out of 3 Test series.
• Under Kapil Dev, India played 8 Test matches, winning 1, losing 5, and drawing 2, with a win percentage of 12.5%.
• In ODI matches, India played 25 games, winning 9, losing 16, with a win percentage of 36%.

Kapil Dev has written four books, including three autobiographical works and one on Sikhism. His autobiographies are By God's Decree (1985), Cricket My Style (1987), and Straight from the Heart (2004). His latest book, titled We, The Sikhs, was released in 2019.

• After a period of silence, Kapil Dev returned to cricket in July 2002 when he was named one of the sixteen finalists for the Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century award.
• Dev won the award, beating longtime teammate Sunil Gavaskar and crowd favorite Sachin Tendulkar, calling it "my finest hour."
• He returned to cricket as a bowling consultant and was the bowling coach during India's preparatory camp for the 2004 tour of Pakistan.
• In October 2006, Dev was nominated as the chairman of the National Cricket Academy for a two-year period.
• In 2005, Kapil Dev appeared in a brief role in the film Iqbal, where he played himself. The director initially wasn't keen on approaching him, but writer Vipul K. Rawal insisted, as the role was written with him in mind.
• In May 2007, Dev joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL) as the chairman of the executive board, defending his decision as complementary to the BCCI's structure.
• The BCCI responded by revoking pensions for players who joined the ICL, including Dev.
• On 21 August 2007, Dev was removed from the chairmanship of the National Cricket Academy after addressing a press conference for the ICL.
• On 25 July 2012, Kapil Dev resigned from the ICL and continued to support the BCCI, paving the way for his return to the BCCI fold.
• In 2019, he was appointed the first Chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana, located in the state he represented in domestic cricket.