Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 Retention: Players Released & Kept

Published: 15 November 2025

Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 Retention Overview

The Delhi Capitals (DC) have made significant changes ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. After a close finish in IPL 2025, where they ended fifth, the franchise aims to strengthen its squad by retaining vital players and releasing others.

Players Released by Delhi Capitals

In a move that surprised many, DC has released seven players. Notably, the franchise parted ways with veteran Faf du Plessis, the former vice-captain.

PlayerStatus
Faf du PlessisReleased
Jake Fraser-McGurkReleased
Donovan FerreiraTraded to Rajasthan Royals
Sediqullah AtalReleased
Manvanth KumarReleased
Mohit SharmaReleased
Darshan NalkandeReleased

Additionally, they acquired Indian batter Nitish Rana from Rajasthan Royals for ?4.2 crore.

Retention List for IPL 2026

Here's the complete retention list for Delhi Capitals:

PlayerPrice (INR)
Axar Patel (c)?16.50 crore
Tristan Stubbs?10 crore
Sameer Rizvi?95 lakh
Karun Nair?50 lakh
KL Rahul?14 crore
Abhishek Porel?4 crore
Ashutosh Sharma?3.8 crore
Vipraj Nigam?50 lakh
Madhav Tiwari?40 lakh
Ajay Mandal?30 lakh
Tripurana Vijay?30 lakh
Kuldeep Yadav?13.25 crore
Mitchell Starc?11.75 crore
Mukesh Kumar?8 crore
Dushmantha Chameera?8 crore
T Natarajan?8 crore
Nitish Rana?4.2 crore

The remaining purse for DC stands at ?21.8 crore, providing ample opportunity to enhance their squad during the auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.