IPL 2026 auction: List of all players released and retained by Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have retained 16 players ahead of IPL 2026 auction.

Delhi Capitals (DC) have announced their list of retained and released players ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini auction. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had set a deadline of November 15 for all teams to announce their retained and released players.

The IPL 2020 runners-up have retained 16 players in their squad ahead of IPL 2026 auction, including captain Axar Patel and senior Indian batter KL Rahul. T Natarajan, Mitchell Starc, and Mukesh Kumar are among the few key bowlers retained by the franchise.

Faf du Plessis is the most shocking name among the six players released from their squad. DC also roped in Indian batter Nitish Rana through a trade deal with Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of IPL 2026 and traded out Donovan Ferreira. With the addition of these two, they now have 17 players in their squad.

Delhi Capitals failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2025

Ahead of IPL 2025, DC appointed all-rounder Axar Patel as their captain. However, the franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs despite a fabulous start in the tournament. Winning four back-to-back games at the beginning, the Axar Patel-led side reached the top spot in the points table.

However, they failed to retain their winning momentum later, eventually finishing at fifth spot in the league stage with 15 points. Out of 14 games, the IPL 2020 runners-up won seven games and lost six encounters, including one no result.

DC are among the few teams that have been part of the tournament since the inaugural season but have never won the IPL. Their best performance came in the 2020 season, where they reached the final but finished as runners-up by losing to Mumbai Indians (MI). In IPL 2026, the Capitals will make another attempt to lift their first trophy.

Which players did Delhi Capitals retain before IPL 2026 auction?

Below are the names of 16 players retained by DC ahead of IPL 2026 auction.

• Tristan Stubbs
• Sameer Rizvi
• Karun Nair
• KL Rahul
• Abishek Porel
• Axar Patel (C)
• Ashutosh Sharma
• Vipraj Nigam
• Madhav Tiwari
• Tripurana Vijay
• Ajay Mandal
• Kuldeep Yadav
• Mitchell Starc
• T Natarajan
• Mukesh Kumar
• Dushmantha Chameera
• Nitish Rana (Traded in)

Which players did Delhi Capitals release before IPL 2026 auction?

Below are the six players released by DC ahead of the next season.

• Faf du Plessis
• Jake Fraser-McGurk
• Sediqullah Atal
• Manvanth Kumar
• Mohit Sharma
• Darshan Nalkande
• Donovan Ferreira (Traded out)

What is Delhi Capitals’ remaining purse value ahead of IPL 2026 auction?

DC’s remaining purse value ahead of IPL 2026 auction is Rs. 21.80 crores.

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