Delhi Capitals don’t have a lot to think about when it comes to completing their squad at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Although the team started off on a strong note in IPL 2025, they choked towards the latter half of the tournament and narrowly missed out on securing a spot in the playoffs. DC’s release list, which comprises of Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Darshan Nalkande, Mohit Sharma, Sediqullah Atal and Manvanth Kumar – is a sensible one, with the team getting rid of the extra baggage in their squad.
While their current unit is a strong and a balanced one, they still have a few gaps to fill. Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, let’s take a look at players DC should eye at the event.
Players DC should eye at IPL 2026 auction
First and foremost, DC need to find an opening partner for KL Rahul, since they have released du Plessis and JFM. From the list of released players, some of the options that the team can target include the ex-CSK duo of Rachin and Conway, apart from Kiwi keeper-batter Seifert and ex-KKR star Quinton de Kock. All four have a decent track record as openers.
Another option that DC can pursue is buying back Fraser-McGurk for a lesser price. The Australian opener, who was once viewed as a destructive batter, was released after a sub-par performance in IPL 2025. He had been retained for Rs 9 crore before the IPL 2025 auction. DC could very well buy him back at a lower price.
| Player(s) | Type |
| Rachin Ravindra / Devon Conway / Tim Seifert / Jake Fraser-McGurk / Quinton de Kock | Overseas openers |
| Akash Deep | Indian fast-bowler |
| Rahul Chahar | Indian spinner |
| Adam Zampa | Overseas spinner |
| Vansh Bedi | Uncapped Indian wicketkeeper |
DC also need a proper back-up wicketkeeper, just in case Rahul is unable to do so either due to injury or other reasons. One option for DC is the uncapped Vansh Bedi who had warmed the bench in CSK throughout IPL 2025 despite having immense potential. Another option is de Kock.
The team could also be interested in adding more specialist spinners to their squad. Two viable options could be Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa, both of them who have been impressive in the past in IPL. Meanwhile, the team could also be looking to boost their already star-studded pace line-up with the addition of Akash.
DC squad before IPL 2026 auction
Abhishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, *Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, *Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, Nitish Rana (T), Sameer Rizvi, T. Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, *Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam
Retained: 17
Purse remaining: Rs 21.80 crore
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