Consistency throughout the entire season of 14 matches is a challenging task which every franchise has to face in every Indian Premier League (IPL) edition. The Delhi Capitals (DC) nearly hit the combination spot on in the previous season. Nevertheless, as the IPL auction approaches, the conversation has resurfaced about who will be the ones to make it through the DC released players 2026 list.
The Delhi Capitals were one of the most stable teams during the first part of the 2025 campaign. Not surprisingly, the Axar Patel-led team took full advantage of the situation and ended the tournament winning all their matches in the initial phase. But unfortunately, as the tournament went on, the team gradually lost its momentum and ended up finishing 5th in the points table with just a loss to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the race for playoffs.
DC management, as they get ready to set the team right for the upcoming edition, would be looking to get the balance of the side in place. There have been many rumors of player trades and the Delhi Capitals are likely to be the center of those discussions.
Possible players to make the DC released players 2026 list before the 19th edition of the IPL are mentioned below.
Players Who Are likely To Be Released By Delhi Capitals
Faf du Plessis
After playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for a major part of his league career, the seasoned South African captain was drafted into the Delhi Capitals for the IPL 2025 season. The 41-year-old former RCB captain was partnered with KL Rahul in batting. He could gather just 202 runs in nine outings at an average of less than 25. The strike rate of 123.92 did not provide any encouragement either.
Additionally, his age is one of the reasons for this, and the team would prefer to find younger players for the top order. Even though Faf du Plessis has netted more than 400 runs in Major League Cricket (MLC) with a high average of over 50, the team would prefer to go through the long-term route and thus let him go. Consequently, it is quite possible that du Plessis will be included in the list of released players of the DC in 2026.
Mitchell Starc
The Australian left-arm speedster is one of the most prolific fast bowlers. Other than the fact that Mitchell Starc has not been able to live up to that hype in the IPL for the last two years, he has given away more than 10 runs per over. Last season, in 11 matches, Starc took a total of 14 wickets which included a five-wicket haul. The fifer would be great news for the franchise but at the same time it indicates that the Aussie pacer could dismiss only 9 batsmen in the remaining 10 matches he played.
The 35-year-old Australian pacer was signed by the Capitals for INR 11.75 crore at the last year’s auction. The team is thinking of releasing that amount in order to pursue other options. The management will be on the lookout for young domestic fast bowlers whom they can train up for the long term, thus making Mitchell Starc a possible name on the list of players released by DC in 2026.
KL Rahul
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter is rumored to be a part of all the trade discussions and if that is the case he might end up being among players released by DC in 2026. There is even a chance of his being traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after just one season with DC. The news about KKR makes a lot of sense since the three-time IPL winners are in need of a wicketkeeper-batter who can also take up—a leadership role option. Rahul is free to enter the auction at a better price for his skills. He has proven his quality in several seasons of the league and also has managed to steer the franchises efficiently as a skipper.
Last season, the 33-year-old scored 539 runs in 13 matches at a stunning average of 53.90. Besides, he completed his season with three fifties and a century, which signifies his consistency over the entire season. However, the KKR trade will mean that Rahul will end up being one of the DC released players in 2026.
