With the IPL 2026 retention list finalised, the big question is who will Delhi Capitals buy in the upcoming mini-auction. The franchise needs to rebuild, and discussions must have already begun around the DC target players list who could strengthen the squad for the new season.
Before the auction, Delhi Capitals traded Donovan Ferreira to Rajasthan Royals and brought in Nitish Rana through a trade. The DC released players list contains Faf du Plessis, Donovan Ferreira, Sediqullah Atal, Darshan Nalkande, Manvanth Kumar, Mohit Sharma, and Jake Fraser-McGurk.
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Delhi Capitals will enter the IPL 2026 auction with a remaining purse of INR 21.8 crore and eight slots to fill. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five players who could be among the DC IPL 2026 auction targets.
Finn Allen could be one of the players on DC target players list for the IPL 2026 auction. Since DC have released Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk, who were part of their top order in IPL 2025, they will now be looking for someone to fill that role, and Finn Allen could be among the DC IPL 2026 auction targets.
The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium supports batters, and a player like Finn Allen can dominate in the powerplay. With the short boundaries as well, having a player of his quality could be beneficial.
DC have only Axar Patel as a reliable all-rounder in the squad. It will be interesting to see who will Delhi Capitals buy in the IPL 2026 auction to strengthen that department. One name that could fit their squad is Liam Livingstone.
Although he didn’t have the best season for RCB in 2025, he is still one the best powerful hitters and who can also bowl spin. The short boundaries at the Arun Jaitley Stadium could work in his favor as well, and his aggressive batting might help DC in the middle order.
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One of the names that stood out this year in domestic leagues was Jordan Cox. The English batter had an impressive T20 Blast and The Hundred this year. He mostly batted at No.3 and had a strike rate of 165.21 in the T20 Blast and 173.93 in The Hundred.
If DC decide to go with two Indian openers, Jordan Cox could be a good option. Given his recent form in T20 cricket, he could be among the DC target players for the auction.
Delhi Capitals tried too many opening combinations in IPL 2025. One of the main reasons their second half of the season wasn’t as good as the first half was that their top order batters failed to capitalise. One area they might focus on is bringing in an aggressive Indian top-order batter. They have domestic players, but not someone who can dominate in the powerplay.
One of the names expected to be in the auction is Prithvi Shaw. After going unsold in the previous auction, this could be the right time for him to make a comeback. He has shown good domestic form, and since he has already played for the franchise, he could once again be among the DC IPL 2026 auction targets.
Punjab Kings released Kuldeep Sen on the retention deadline day. The right-arm pacer will now be one of the names available in the IPL 2026 auction.
DC have retained Mukesh Kumar and T Natarajan for the upcoming season, but they will likely look for a backup Indian pacer, especially for Natarajan, who has had fitness issues. For that reason, Kuldeep Sen could be among the pacers in the DC target players list. Although he didn’t play any matches last season, he could get opportunities this time.
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