After a shaky 2025, Delhi Capitals are planning big changes to their squad for 2026. Some players didn’t deliver, some showed promise. So they have tough calls to make before the auction. Here’s a possible look at Delhi Capitals squad for 2026, who they might keep and who they might release.
Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 Squad:
DC will be building around their Indian players to create a stronger team.
Who might DC keep for IPL 2026?
Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Darshan Nalkande, Madhav Tiwari, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Ajay Mandal, Karun Nair, Donovan Ferreira, Mukesh Kumar.
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Key players from IPL 2025 to build around:
These four players were the standouts for DC in IPL 2025 and will be the core of the team in 2026:
- Axar Patel (Captain & All-rounder): He leads the team with his calm but aggressive batting and his spin bowling. A key player all around.
- KL Rahul: A reliable wicket-keeper batter who gave the top order some stability.
- Tristan Stubbs: A middle-order batter who can accelerate or hold the innings together.
- Abhishek Porel: A young keeper-batter who had some great high-scoring performances under pressure.
Who might DC release before IPL 2026?
DC will release players who didn’t perform or were injured. This will free up money and spots for overseas players. Here’s a list of players who might be released:
- Jake Fraser-McGurk: They paid a lot for him but he didn’t score enough runs or have enough impact. Releasing him will free up a spot for an overseas player.
- Faf du Plessis: The veteran opener didn’t even score 200 runs. His age and how often he’s available might make DC want to look for younger players.
- Mohit Sharma: Didn’t play much and didn’t take enough wickets. His economy rate and age are a concern.
- T. Natarajan: Barely played and didn’t do well when he did get a chance. He’ll probably be cut.
- Dushmantha Chameera: This overseas fast bowler wasn’t consistent or dangerous enough. They might replace him with a faster bowler who’s in better form.
DC 2026 Playing XI
- KL Rahul
- Abishek Porel (WK)
- Karun Nair
- Sameer Rizvi
- Tristan Stubbs
- Ashutosh Sharma
- Axar Patel (C)
- Vipraj Nigam
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Mitchell Starc
- Mukesh Kumar (Impact Player)
DC will release players who aren’t consistent and older overseas players before IPL 2026.
