Delhi Capitals finished fifth last season under Axar Patel’s captaincy. That wasn’t good enough for their fans at all! DC is now planning a complete team makeover for IPL 2026. They’re keeping young stars and letting go of big names. This could be their year to finally win it all!
DC Retained and Released Players List
| Retained Players | Released Players |
| Axar Patel KL Rahul Nitish Rana Abishek Porel Tristan Stubbs Karun Nair Sameer Rizvi Ashutosh Sharma Vipraj Nigam Madhav Tiwari Tripurana Vijay Ajay Mandal Kuldeep Yadav Mitchell Starc T. Natarajan Mukesh Kumar Dushmantha Chameera | Faf du Plessis Jake Fraser-McGurk Donovan Ferreria Sediqullah Atal Manvanth Kumar Mohit Sharma Darshan Nalkande |
Remaining Purse – ₹ 21.8 CR
DC’s Released Players and Big Changes
Brace yourself for some shocking news here! Faf du Plessis is leaving the Delhi Capitals this season. Jake Fraser-McGurk won’t play for the Capitals in IPL 2026 either. Darshan Nalkande has also been released from the squad.
Harry Brook got a ban and that sealed his exit. Mohit Sharma struggled with fitness issues throughout the season. They decided these stars weren’t worth keeping anymore. The team needs fresh blood to compete better.
Meanwhile, DC made a smart trade with Rajasthan Royals recently. They got Nitish Rana for ₹4.2 crore in exchange. Donovan Ferreira went the other way to RR. This trade strengthens DC’s middle-order batting lineup significantly.
DC Retained Players For IPL 2026
Captain Axar Patel is staying to lead Delhi Capitals again. KL Rahul remains with Capitals despite KKR showing interest in him. Star all-rounder Tristan Stubbs stays too.
Kuldeep Yadav will continue being their main spinner next season. Young wicketkeeper Abishek Porel is staying with the team. Rising talents Sameer Rizvi and Ashutosh Sharma stay as well.
Delhi Capitals wants to build around these young Indian stars. Their retention strategy focuses on long-term success over quick fixes. The team believes this core group can deliver playoff spots.
Delhi Capitals need death bowlers badly for the upcoming auction. They’re also hunting for powerful overseas hitters right now. DC has enough money to buy quality players this time.
There was some talk about Mohammed Shami possibly joining DC before the auction but he goes to LSG. KL Rahul staying means Delhi Capitals have a solid top order. These retain give them a strong foundation to build upon.
