Table of Contents
The Delhi Capitals are heading into the IPL 2026 Mini Auction with more questions than answers. While some teams are just looking for backups, DC finds itself in a tricky spot where it needs to fill crucial starting positions. They have shuffled their pack significantly, and the pressure is on the management to make smart buys to ensure they remain competitive in the upcoming season.
Here is a breakdown of where the Delhi Capitals stand before the auction begins.
DC Players released/traded out
Donovan Ferreira (traded to RR), Darshan Nalkande, Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Sediqullah Atal
DC Players retained/traded in
Nitish Rana (traded in from RR), Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mukesh Kumar
Auction Purse and Slots
Purse remaining: INR 21.80 crore (Out of INR 125 crore)
Slots remaining: 8 (5 overseas)
Can the Delhi Capitals find the right men to fill the gaps?
To be honest, looking at the squad right now, the Delhi Capitals appear to be one of the weaker sides going into the IPL 2026 Mini Auction. While they have star power in KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, and Mitchell Starc, the team balance feels a bit off.
The departure of Jake Fraser-McGurk and Faf du Plessis has left a gaping hole at the top of the batting order. They desperately need explosive openers who can take advantage of the powerplay. Furthermore, they are very light on foreign talent, with only three overseas players currently in the mix.
With INR 21.80 crore in the bank, they don't have an unlimited budget, but they can have enough to be strategic. They will be eyeing at least two top-notch overseas players. Likely an opener and a middle-order hitter. to bring some stability to the side.
If they fail to land these key targets, DC might find themselves struggling against the more settled teams in IPL 2026.
