Given the quality of their team, several good players might not get enough opportunities, warming the bench for most games next season.
Delhi Capitals (DC) had a strong IPL 2025 auction, buying several quality players and will be a side to beat. Despite not getting Rishabh Pant back, DC found players for each slot and filled backups with solid options.
The selection will be tricky because they have so many players. Given the quality of their team, several good players might not get enough opportunities, warming the bench for most games next season.
We look at three DC players who might remain on the bench in IPL 2025.
Karun Nair has been in the form of his life and ended as the leading run-getter in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25. In eight innings, he scored 779 runs at an average of 389.50 and a 124.04 strike rate, including one half-century and five centuries. Last year, Nair was the highest run-scorer in the Maharaja T20 Trophy, accumulating 560 runs at an average of 62.22 and an 181.82 strike rate in 11 outings, comprising five fifties and a century.
Delhi Capitals bought him at INR 50 Lakhs in the IPL 2025 auction. Despite his recent rise, Nair might not get a chance in the XI and mostly serve drinks. The top and middle order is packed, with several players almost undroppable.
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Despite being over 40, Faf du Plessis has shown no signs of regression and firing as brilliantly as ever. His revamped approach means Faf starts quicker than ever and exploits the powerplay. However, he might not be a first-starter in DC’s XI in IPL 2025 because of Jake Fraser-McGurk’s presence at the top.
The franchise retained McGurk, who does precisely what Faf can do – maximising the first six overs. He was fabulous in his maiden IPL season in 2024, meaning Faf must wait for his opportunity. Unless McGurk performs exceedingly poorly, Faf doesn’t find a spot in the side, even after doing so well in the previous cycle.
Donovan Ferreira is really unlucky to be in a team with Harry Brook and Tristan Stubbs as their overseas middle-order batter. Ferreira has been developing nicely as a hard-hitter who can hit the ball long and provide impetus in the death overs. However, the team already has Brook and Stubbs, who are better at this stage.
Since they are more developed, Ferreira must sit out and follow the action from his bench. Ferreira can be a long-term project and will get his chances at a certain stage. But for now, he might not play any game unless one of their main overseas players gets injured.
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