Delhi Capitals (DC) have revealed their IPL 2026 squad retention list, retaining a core of 17 players to build on a rollercoaster 2025 season where they finished fifth after a promising start gave way to late collapses, missing playoffs for the third straight year. Under new Captain Axar Patel, who steps up following Rishabh Pant's trade to Lucknow Super Giants in the 2025 mega-auction, DC emphasised stability around proven performers like KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav while integrating strategic trades to address top-order fragility and death bowling woes.
The franchise, co-owned by JSW and GMR Groups, released six players and executed a swap with Rajasthan Royals—acquiring middle-order batter Nitish Rana at his INR 4.2 crore fee while sending South African all-rounder Donovan Ferreira to RR for INR 1 crore—to enhance batting depth without major purse erosion. This non-mega auction year allows unlimited retentions within the INR 120 crore cap, positioning DC for targeted reinforcements at the December 16 mini-auction in Abu Dhabi.
The retained lineup blends experience with emerging talent, featuring Axar Patel (c, INR 16.5 crore) as the fulcrum for his all-round utility, KL Rahul (INR 14 crore) for anchoring the innings after scoring 542 runs in 2025, and Kuldeep Yadav (INR 2 crore), whose 21 wickets underscored his spin prowess at Arun Jaitley Stadium. Batting reinforcements include Tristan Stubbs (INR 9.2 crore) for explosive middle-order cameos, Karun Nair (INR 1.5 crore) as a reliable accumulator, and Sameer Rizvi (INR 8.4 crore), the uncapped prodigy who impressed with his six-hitting in limited outings.
Young guns like Abishek Porel (INR 4 crore) and Ashutosh Sharma (INR 3.8 crore) add vitality, while domestic all-rounders Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, and Ajay Mandal provide squad balance. On the bowling front, Mitchell Starc (INR 11.75 crore) headlines the pace attack despite a mixed 2025, backed by T Natarajan (INR 10.75 crore) as a death specialist, Mukesh Kumar (INR 5.5 crore), and Dushmantha Chameera (INR 1.5 crore) for seam variety—moves head coach Hemang Badani hailed as "calculated risks for consistency".
DC's release decisions targeted underutilised overseas slots and high-cost non-performers, parting ways with Faf du Plessis (INR 2 crore), whose 202 runs in nine matches couldn't offset opening redundancies; Jake Fraser-McGurk (INR 9 crore), the young Australian whose aggressive starts fizzled with a strike rate under 140 post-powerplay; Mohit Sharma (INR 2.4 crore), the veteran pacer whose economy ballooned to 9.5; and uncapped prospects Sediqullah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, and Darshan Nalkande, who saw minimal game time amid injuries.
The Ferreira trade, while bittersweet after his 2025 utility, recoups INR 75 lakh and clears an overseas berth, allowing flexibility for global talents. Badani noted these cuts, recouping around INR 14 crore, stem from a "no-sacred-cows" philosophy to prioritise impact over sentiment, especially after DC's 2025 bowling leaked 180+ totals in four losses.
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With a healthy INR 21.8 crore purse and eight slots open—including five overseas—DC enters the auction primed for a finisher like a Marcus Stoinis clone or a mystery spinner to complement Kuldeep, amid league trades like Andre Russell's shock release by Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings' acquisition of Sanju Samson. This refreshed setup, retaining 70% of their 2025 core, aims to harness Patel's tactical acumen and Rahul's poise for a top-four finish in the 74-match IPL 2026, potentially ending a seven-year title drought since their 2009 inception.
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