Delhi Capitals walked into the Abu Dhabi mini-auction ready to build something special. They had Rs 21.8 crore to spend on strengthening their 2026 squad. The Team made some really smart moves alongside one massive surprise purchase.
Axar Patel remains as captain leading the DC forward this season. KL Rahul and Mitchell Starc anchor the batting and bowling departments. The list already looked solid before the auction even started.
December 16, 2025 became crucial for completing the team-building process. DC grabbed some absolute steals at base prices surprisingly. But they also fought hard when necessary for specific targets.
David Miller Comes Cheap
Delhi Capitals became the first franchise to buy a Player at the auction. David Miller joined them for his base amount of Rs 2 crore only. Nobody else even tried bidding against DC for him shockingly.
That’s incredible value for someone with Miller’s finishing abilities honestly. The South African can win matches single-handedly on his day. The 2026 squad just got a proven match-winner dirt cheap.
Ben Duckett also came at Rs 2 crore base amount next. England’s aggressive opener brings serious firepower to the Players list here. DC basically stole two quality overseas players at bargain money.
Auqib Nabi Dar: The Big Fight
The auction room exploded when Auqib Nabi Dar’s name came up. Rajasthan Royals, RCB, and Sunrisers Hyderabad all wanted him desperately. His base Price of Rs 30 lakh jumped massively quickly.
Delhi Capitals won the bidding war at Rs 8.4 crore eventually. That’s their most expensive purchase from this entire auction cycle. The Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder earned every rupee with domestic performances.
He grabbed 29 wickets in just 5 Ranji Trophy matches recently. His average of 13.27 is absolutely ridiculous for any bowler. Best figures of 7 for 24 showed his wicket-taking ability.
| Player Name | Price | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Axar Patel | ₹16.5 Cr | Retained |
| KL Rahul | ₹14 Cr | Retained |
| Kuldeep Yadav | ₹13.25 Cr | Retained |
| Mitchell Starc | ₹11.75 Cr | Retained |
| T. Natarajan | ₹10.75 Cr | Retained |
| Tristan Stubbs | ₹10 Cr | Retained |
| Mukesh Kumar | ₹8 Cr | Retained |
| Abhishek Porel | ₹4 Cr | Retained |
| Ashutosh Sharma | ₹3.8 Cr | Retained |
| Sameer Rizvi | ₹95 L | Retained |
| Dushmantha Chameera | ₹75 L | Retained |
| Karun Nair | ₹50 L | Retained |
| Vipraj Nigam | ₹50 L | Retained |
| Madhav Tiwari | ₹40 L | Retained |
| Ajay Mandal | ₹30 L | Retained |
| Tripurana Vijay | ₹30 L | Retained |
| Nitish Rana | ₹4.2 Cr | Traded In |
| David Miller | ₹2 Cr | Auction |
| Ben Duckett | ₹2 Cr | Auction |
| Lungi Ngidi | ₹2 Cr | Auction |
| Kyle Jamieson | ₹2 Cr | Auction |
| Pathum Nissanka | ₹4 Cr | Auction |
| Auqib Nabi Dar | ₹8.4 Cr | Auction |
| Prithvi Shaw | ₹75 L | Auction |
| Sahil Parakh | ₹30 L | Auction |
Prithvi Shaw’s Redemption Story
Prithvi Shaw went unsold twice during the auction embarrassingly for him. Nobody picked him at his base salary of Rs 75 lakh. Delhi Capitals finally rescued him on the third attempt mercifully.
The Team brought their former star back home at rock-bottom cost. Shaw’s IPL journey hits restart mode with the 2026 season. Everyone hopes he rediscovers his List A form soon.
