Delhi Capitals Retain Core Leadership With Captain Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs Ahead Of IPL 2026

IPL 2026: With the IPL 2026 auction approaching, Delhi Capitals announced their retained and released players, securing 17 names for the upcoming season.

Following comprehensive evaluations and discussions, Delhi Capitals have decided to release Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Sediqullah Atal, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Manvanth Kumar, and Darshan Nalkande for the upcoming season.

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Delhi Capitals Retain Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav Among Others

The players retained by the Capitals include Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, and Tristan Stubbs, among others. Delhi Capitals have also roped in Nitish Rana in a trade for Donovan Ferreira, who moves to Rajasthan Royals ahead of the auction.

While speaking on the players retained, Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani has said that the upcoming auction will allow them to make fine adjustments in the squad. 

“Last season had its highs and lows, we played some really good cricket but fell just short of a playoff spot. We know the areas that need strengthening, and the auction will allow us to make those fine adjustments around the group we have retained. The goal is to build consistency and ensure we’re competing at our best throughout the season,” Hemang Badani said.

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Here's How Delhi Capitals Performed In IPL 2025

In the IPL 2025, Delhi Capitals has a stunning start to the season but failed to make it into the playoffs. The Capitals ended the 18th season of the cash-rich league on the fifth place with 15 points from 14 matches at a net run rate of +0.011. Delhi Capitals clinched seven wins and conceded six defeats after playing 14 matches.

List of Retained Players by Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana (Traded In).

Released Players by Delhi Capitals: Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Sediqullah Atal, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Manvanth Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Donovan Ferreira (Traded Out).