Dilshad Khan belongs to the 10th generation of a hereditary lineage of sarangi players and vocalists from Rajasthan known as the Sikar gharana, which was originally under the patronage of the Maharaja of Sikar. At age six, Dilshad Khan began learning sarangi and vocal music, studying successively with his grandfather, Ustad Gulab Khan; his father, Ustad Nasir Khan; and his uncle, the renowned sarangi master Ustad Sultan Khan (1940-2011).

Together with sarangi master-musician Ram Narayan (b. 1927), Sultan Khan played a central role in redefining the place of the sarangi, and of sarangi players, in Indian music and Indian culture more broadly. Traditionally used as an accompanying instrument and often associated with courtesan culture, the sarangi has in recent decades assumed a prominent place as a featured solo instrument in Hindustani classical music.

Dilshad Khan continues the legacy of his lineage within the Hindustani classical tradition, often performing with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and many other leading musicians. Simultaneously, Dilshad Khan is expanding the language of the sarangi in film music and through innovative cross-cultural collaborative projects.