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Nitish Rana traded; deadwoods released: DC's retention plan analysed before IPL mini auction

Anurag Dasgupta

DC's retention plan decoded [Source: @iplt20.com]DC's retention plan decoded [Source: @iplt20.com]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 retentions are done and dusted, with teams retaining their best players and releasing all unwanted stars before the mini auction. One of the sides that desperately needed to tweak their squad was the Delhi Capitals, and the franchise also managed to pull off a trade deal in between the retentions.

The side had an outstanding start to their IPL 2025 campaign, winning four in a row before the losing streak began. The side then lost the momentum and as a result, failed to reach the playoffs of the IPL 2025.

The upcoming mini auction provides them a chance to redeem themselves, and the team also managed to retain the core of their side. In this piece, we will analyse how DC fared in the retention window and the loopholes they need to fill in the auction.

DC's retentions ahead of IPL 2026 mini auction

Player
Role
Retention Price
Axar PatelAll-rounder16.25 crores
KL RahulKeeper-Batter14 crores
Kuldeep YadavBowler13.25 crores
Mitchell Starc
Bowler11.75 crores
T. NatarajanBowler10.75 crores
Tristan StubbsBatter10 crores
Mukesh KumarBowler8 crores
Abhishek PorelBatter4 crores
Ashutosh SharmaBatter3.80 crores
Sameer RizviBatter95 lakhs
Dushmantha Chameera Bowler75 lakhs
Vipraj NigamAll-rounder50 Lakhs
Karun NairBatter50 Lakhs
Madhav TiwariAll-rounder40 Lakhs
Tripurana VijayAll-rounder30 Lakhs
Ajay MandalAll-rounder30 Lakhs
Nitish Rana (Traded)Batter4.2 crores
  • Just like many of the franchises, DC managed to retain their core for the next season, with KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav all getting retained. Moreover, the unwanted players who failed to deliver the goods were also shipped off, as DC has 21.8 crores to play with in the mini auction.
  • However, the biggest mistake they made was retaining T Natarajan, who cost them 10.75 crore and played only a solitary game in the 2025 campaign. The batter missed almost the entire IPL campaign as the team missed his services. Hence, retaining an injury-prone bowler is a big gamble they have played.

Delhi Capitals released players ahead of IPL 2026 auction 

Faf Du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mohit Sharma, Harry Brook, Donovan Ferreira (Traded), Manvanth Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Sediqullah Atal

DC's Nitish Rana trade that changes everything

  • The Delhi Capitals were one of the teams that made a trade move before the retention day, and the move was to bring in RR batter Nitish Rana to their team. On paper, this deal looks a bit ordinary, but the 4.2 crore deal could turn out to be a masterstroke by the franchise.
  • Last season, DC’s biggest weakness was their top-order batting, but despite having KL Rahul in the side, they couldn’t push him to the top, as it would have made their middle-order weak. Hence, with Rana coming in, the franchise can now push KL to the top as one of their openers, and his stats at the top tells the story.
Criterion
Data
Matches103
Runs4418
Strike rate
138.15
50s/100s36/5

(KL Rahul as opener in IPL)

  • 90% of his IPL runs have come at the top of the order, and hence, having KL there will benefit the franchise in the IPL 2026 season. Rana brings in confidence in the middle-order and he would straightaway slot in at 4, with KL moving to the top.

Loopholes DC need to fill in during mini auction

A solid opener to complement KL Rahul

  • Even if KL Rahul moves to the top, DC still needs a partner for him, as both Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk were released by the team. Opening area was DC’s main concern last season, as neither du Plessis nor Fraser-McGurk delivered the goods.
  • This is their main concern heading into the mini auction, and the team certainly needs a hard-hitting opener who could complement KL Rahul.

A death overs specialist

In Mohit Sharma and Mukesh Kumar, DC had two bowlers who went for plenty throughout the tournament. Mitchell Starc is there in the squad, but even he doesn’t have a good record in death overs. Hence, the team needs a death-overs specialist.

Criterion
Mukesh Kumar
Mohit Sharma
Matches128
Dismissals122
Economy10.3310.28

(Mukesh Kumar and Mohit Sharma in IPL 2025)

  • As the stats suggest, both Mohit Sharma and Mukesh Kumar had horrendous seasons with the ball, as DC failed to take wickets in the league. Hence, a bowler will be the need of an hour for DC.

Conclusion

  • The core of the team was retained, and DC also played a punt by bringing in Nitish Rana for next season in a trade deal, but if the franchise wants to elevate to the next level, they need more reinforcements.
  •   The side has two major weaknesses - opening woes and a death overs specialist and DC need to fill in the two loopholes to go to the distance in the IPL 2026 season.

OneCricket's trade and retention rating: 8/10