DC announces full list of retained and released players ahead of IPL 2026 auction.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 retention deadline, the Delhi Capitals remained one of the least active teams. They appeared in a few reports but never seemed close to completing any major trades or releasing big names. Whether this approach reflected a lack of ambition, faith in their core despite missing the playoffs last season, or simply an inability to make the most of the trade window became a talking point.
There were rumours of KL Rahul possibly moving to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), a deal reportedly blocked after one of the owners “put his foot down”. Another speculation involved DC trying to secure Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals in a swap for Tristan Stubbs. While neither move materialised, both were widely criticised by fans.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Released Players | Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Donnovan Ferreira (traded), Sediquallah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Darshan Nalkande |
| Retained Players | Mitchell Starc, Nitish Rana (traded-in), KL Rahul, T. Natarajan, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Dushmantha Chameera, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel |
| Players Traded In | Nitish Rana from RR (worth Rs. 4.2 crore) |
| Players Traded Out | Donovan Ferreira to RR (worth Rs. 75 lakhs) |
| Vacant Slots | 8 (5 Overseas) |
| Remaining Purse | Rs 21.8 Crore |
| Full Squad Ahead of IPL 2026 Auction | – |
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