IPL Retention 2026: Full list of retained and released players of Delhi Capitals

Following a narrow miss for a playoff position in 2025, the Delhi Capitals are set to reevaluate their roster in preparation for the Indian Premier League 2026 auction. The 2025 season began with high expectations but ultimately fell short as Delhi's performance waned. They kicked off the season with four straight victories but could only secure three wins in their last ten matches, finishing fifth in the standings, just one point shy of the fourth-placed Mumbai Indians.

Amidst swirling rumors regarding the possible departure of star top-order batsman KL Rahul, who has been linked to the Kolkata Knight Riders, it is widely believed that DC will continue to support their key player.

There was also significant speculation about a direct player trade with the Rajasthan Royals, who were reportedly interested in acquiring Tristan Stubbs in exchange for Sanju Samson. However, with Samson's transfer to the Chennai Super Kings in a deal involving Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, that option has been eliminated. As a result, DC is anticipated to keep the core of their team intact, including Axar Patel, who captained last season, KL Rahul, Stubbs, their star spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Sameer Rizvi, and to a certain extent, Mitchell Starc.

So far, DC's only transaction has been the acquisition of Nitish Rana from the Rajasthan Royals, with Donovan Ferreira moving in the opposite direction to complete the trade.

Looking forward, Delhi will seek a strong opener to take the place of the struggling Jake Fraser-McGurk. The team tested various combinations, utilizing Abishek Porel, Faf du Plessis, and Fraser-McGurk at the top before ultimately deciding on Rahul to open alongside Du Plessis. Additionally, Delhi will be on the lookout for a replacement for T. Natarajan, who has been an injury-prone player in recent seasons.

DC Player Trades ahead of IPL 2026 Auction - Nitish Rana (Rs 4.2 crore)

List of players retained by Delhi Capitals - Axar Patel (c), KL Rahul, 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.

List of players released by Delhi Capitals - Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Donovan Ferreria, Sediqullah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande.

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