End Of Road For Faf Du Plessis? Players DC Should Release For IPL 2026

Abhinav Tyagi

Faf Du Plessis - (Source : AP)Faf Du Plessis - (Source : AP)

Delhi Capitals had an embarrassing finish to what had started a great tournament for them. The Axar Patel-led side finished fifth on the table with 15 points in 14 matches.

It is worth noting that Delhi got off to the best start as they won their first four matches, but things went downhill, and the Capitals won just three matches in their last ten games. Amid this, they made several changes to their combination, such as utilising seven openers in the tournament.

Meanwhile, this article will shed light on which players should be released by the Capitals and how much purse value can they generate.

Batters

1. Faf Du Plessis

Firstly, Faf Du Plessis should be released by the Delhi Capitals as the 40-year-old, who was named the vice-captain, had a dismal tournament. Further, the South Africa star player had his worst IPL season since 2018 and scored just 202 runs in 9 innings. 

Further, age is catching up on Faf and he failed to provide an aggressive start at the top for the Capitals, resulting in several experiments at the top. Now it's time to look ahead of Faf and bring in a young talent. 

2. Donovan Ferreira

Donovan Ferreira was another star South African player who was bought in during the IPL 2025 mega-auction after his performance in SA20 2025. However, the all-rounder was not given enough match-time and he felt out of place with the impact player rule in IPL, it is unlikely that the Capitals will retain Ferreira for the next season. 

In the recently concluded season, Ferreira played just one match and scored a solitary run and picked up no wicket. 

3. Jake Fraser McGurk

Jake Fraser-McGurk was touted as the next big thing in IPL, but the right-hand opener failed to replicate his IPL 2024 performance and struggled heavily to score runs. Further, JFM didn't score a solitary fifty and amassed just 55 runs in six innings.

It is fair to say that the Capitals gave enough long-rope to JFM to improve his performance, but the Australia batter failed to show any promise and now it looks that DC will opt for new openers for the upcoming season. 

All-Rounders

1. Mohit Sharma 

DC bought Mohit Sharma during the mega-auction hoping for a replica of Sharma's 2022-23 season heroics. However, the right-arm seamer didn't looked at his best. DC lack genuine wicket-taking bowlers and Mohit lacked that sharpness. 

Notably, Mohit has taken just 2 wickets in 8 games for Delhi this season and has also gone for runs. 

2. Dushmantha Chameera

Dushmantha Chameera was bought in the auction but hasn't performed up to his potential. He has taken just four wickets in six matches and hasn't looked the bowler he was during the ODI 2023 World Cup. He has also gone for runs. 

Further, Chameera failed to take wickets at crucial junctures and also went for runs at the death as seen against Mumbai Indians, which led to DC's elimination from the IPL.