The retention deadline of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is just around the corner, and Delhi Capitals (DC) will have to make some critical choices. A few players might find themselves in the list of DC released players 2026 instead of the DC retention list. Some might be released due to poor performances, while others might still be unproven talents because they did not get enough opportunities to perform.
Now let us see which Indian players may be on the DC released players 2026 list before the next season.
4 Indian Players Likely To Be Part of the DC Released Players 2026 List
Karun Nair
Karun Nair may be one of the players who might be listed among the DC released players 2026. After a gap of four years, Karun marking his IPL comeback got a bid from DC for INR 50 lakhs at the IPL 2025 auction.
He had a great start to the season, having scored 89 runs in his first game. But he could not carry on with his good form as he could score only 109 runs in the next seven matches. Overall, he batted for eight matches and scored 198 runs at an average of 24.75 with a strike rate of 172.17.
Such a fall in form could be one of the reasons why Karun might be in the Delhi Capitals released players 2026 list rather than in the DC retention list.
T Natarajan
T Natarajan was acquired by Delhi Capitals for INR 10.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. He may be the next player to get on the list of DC released players 2026.
He had been nursing a shoulder injury in 2025 that occurred during the off-season before IPL 2025. The injury rendered him completely unfit and consequently, he was unable to feature in most games. He was only able to make two appearances, and one was merely to bowl in one innings.
Natarajan is not very active in cricket now days and so he will be the one to let off by the team and might not be in the DC retention list.
Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma was purchased at the price of INR 2.2 crores in the IPL 2025 auction. He played eight games in the season but only two wickets could be his as there was no way he could get more due to his performance.
His economy rate of 10.28 was also a bit high. Since 2023, when he took 27 wickets, his form has dipped as he picked up 13 wickets in the following season and just two in 2025. This could be the reason why Mohit Sharma might feature in the Delhi Capitals released players 2026 list ahead of the auction.
Darshan Nalkande
Darshan Nalkande got a spot in Delhi Capitals for INR 30 lakh at the IPL 2025 auction. He didn’t play at all for the team throughout IPL 2025.
He has only been a participant in six IPL matches, all for Gujarat Titans. Because he did not play in 2025, he may be on the DC released players 2026 list instead of the DC retention list.
