IPL 2026 Auction: Delhi Capitals Retained and Released Players List. Check out the list!

The Delhi Capitals (DC) revealed the full list of retained and released players ahead of the IPL 2026 Mini-Auction. Although they have not released many big names, the franchise has done well to build up a strong available purse for IPL 2026.

This demonstrates the franchise approach of sustainability and balance as DC looks to potentially rebuild from an up-and-down season last year, ensuring their core squad remains strong and giving them flexibility to fill remaining overseas slots.

Delhi Capitals had some impactful signings in IPL 2025 that contributed to a strong start to the tournament, showcasing an early season dominance, followed by a mid-season collapse, but could not carry that momentum into the second half of the season, where they saw themselves losing over and over again down the stretch, due to consistent batting inconsistency and finishing just four points out of the playoffs in the tight IPL 2025 playoffs race at 5th on the points table, just 1 point behind the Mumbai Indians (DC).

Speculations had been circulating that the franchise might move on from KL Rahul, their top performer last season, with reports of a potential trade. But the franchise proved all rumours wrong by retaining him. They also kept their high-value signings like Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, and notably T. Natarajan, who barely featured last season.

Delhi Capitals IPL 2026: Full List of Retained & Released Players, Purse Value, and Updated Squad

The official DC Retained Players List confirms that Delhi Capitals kept a strong core for IPL 2026. They retained players such as the dynamic overseas core, including Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, the Indian spin duo of Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, the star pacer, T.

Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, and Dushmantha Chameera. This group contains experienced stars along with some young talents who can grow further, which is crucial for their IPL 2026 Auction strategy.

The biggest change came when DC released both their openers, Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk. Their release added a huge amount of money to the purse.

They also released Mohit Sharma, Sediqullah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, and Darshan Nalkande. In the trade window, DC moved out Donovan Ferreira to the Rajasthan Royals. With these moves, DC will now look to strengthen their top order and add more depth during the mini-auction.

See Also: Mumbai Indians retained and released players list ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Delhi Capitals (DC) Retained Players 

Delhi Capitals retained Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel as captain, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, and Dushmantha Chameera for the IPL 2026 season.

Delhi Capitals (DC) Released Players

The players released by Delhi Capitals include Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sediqullah Atal, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, and Darshan Nalkande.

DC Player Traded Out

Delhi Capitals traded out Donovan Ferreira to the Rajasthan Royals.

Updated Delhi Capitals Squad 

The updated DC squad now consists of Axar Patel (captain), 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, and Dushmantha Chameera.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which big-name openers did the Delhi Capitals release before the IPL 2026 mini-auction?

Delhi Capitals released both of their primary openers, Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk, a move that significantly increased their available auction purse.

2. Who is the captain of the updated Delhi Capitals squad for IPL 2026?

The updated Delhi Capitals squad for the IPL 2026 season is captained by all-rounder Axar Patel.

3. Did DC retain KL Rahul, despite trade speculation, and who were their other high-value retentions?

Yes, DC proved trade rumors wrong by retaining top performer KL Rahul, alongside high-value pace and spin assets like Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav.

4. Which player did the Delhi Capitals trade out, and to which team?

Delhi Capitals traded out Donovan Ferreira to the Rajasthan Royals, with the franchise subsequently acquiring Nitish Rana in return.