IPL 2027 Delhi Capitals (DC) Best Retained and Released Players List
With Rishabh Pant trade confirmed, explore the Delhi Capitals (DC) best retained and released players list for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027.
Key Takeaways
- Rishabh Pant returns to Delhi Capitals in a blockbuster trade with Lucknow Super Giants, significantly strengthening the batting unit.
- Delhi Capitals are expected to retain 18 players, with Ashutosh Sharma, KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, and Mitchell Starc forming the core.
- Nine players could be released, including Ben Duckett, Prithvi Shaw, Karun Nair, Kyle Jamieson, and the traded Kuldeep Yadav.
- Bowling remains Delhi’s biggest concern, making quality Indian pacers and a frontline spinner the franchise’s top priorities ahead of the IPL 2027 Mini Auction.
Just a few months after the conclusion of IPL 2026, the league has already witnessed its biggest trade of the season, with Delhi Capitals successfully acquiring Rishabh Pant from the Lucknow Super Giants in exchange for Kuldeep Yadav. It’s a spectacular trade for Delhi Capitals, who will be delighted to have their old foe, Rishabh Pant, back in the side. In a super trade, Rishabh Pant has taken a big salary cut from 27 Cr to 15 Cr.
Pant, who started his IPL career at Delhi Capitals back in 2016, had spent almost 8 years with the franchise, and was also the Captain of the side until 2024. But the mega Auction saw Rishabh Pant parting ways with Delhi Capitals, and joining Lucknow Super Giants as the Captain of the side for a record-breaking salary of 27 Cr – the highest salary for any player till date. But two years of poor record from LSG prompted Pant and LSG management to take this decision of parting ways.
Delhi Capitals Retention Plan for IPL 2027 Explained
While Pant comes to the Delhi Capitals, there is no clarity on whether Axar Patel will continue to lead the Delhi side, or whether KL or Pant leads the team. But whatever the decision that is made, the Delhi camp for sure is expected to see a lot of changes in the side. The Delhi team had a below-par outing in the IPL 2026 edition, finishing 6th. The team had strategic fallout with playing 11 changes in almost every match. But which players are Delhi Capitals (DC) likely to retain and release for IPL 2027? Let’s find out in this article.
Let’s start with the players that Delhi Capitals consider as their highest priority players, as they form their core set. From the batters that have the highest retention priority, we have Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Nitish Rana, and David Miller. These four more or less have a defined role in the team, and hence are a part of their batting core. Alongside these two, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Tristan Stubbs form a solid wicket-keeper core. The addition of Pant only makes the batting stronger for Delhi Capitals.
In terms of All-rounders, Delhi Capitals will see Axar Patel and Vipraj Nigam as two primary all-rounders, with Madhav Tiwari as the emerging all-rounder. While Axar and Vipraj form a solid core of All-rounders, Madhav impressed with a few outings he has had for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. Coming to the bowlers, Kuldeep isn’t available, and that means they don’t have a primary spinner. Whereas only Mitchell Starc and Lungi Ngidi seem likely as part of their core.
With 12 players as part of the Delhi Capitals team, there are 6 more players who have a high retention chance as true backups in the team. These six players are Pathum Nissanka, Sahil Parakh, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Dar, and Dushmantha Chameera. Natarajan and Mukesh are definitely solid bowlers, but given their performance in the last two years, their retention is still dicey. Whereas Nissanka and Chameera may get a lifeline with their retention for IPL 2027.
IPL 2027 Delhi Capitals Released Players Best List
- Karun Nair
- Ben Duckett (os)
- Prithvi Shaw
- Ajay Mandal
- Abhishek Porel
- Rehan Ahmed (os)
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Kyle Jamieson (os)
- Tripurana Vijay
Now, let’s talk about the potential releases by Delhi Capitals for IPL 2027. Among the releases that may have the highest priority, we are looking at Ben Duckett, Rehan Ahmed, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Karun Nair, Tripurana Viraj, and Kuldeep Yadav, who is traded out. These players don’t add significant value, and some of these are already past their prime. So, expect Delhi to release them. There could be discussion of Prithvi Shaw, but he is unlikely to be retained. Similarly, Abhishek Porel is a class batter, but due to legal issues that he is currently going through on account of some charges, he is most likely not to be retained. So, overall, expect Delhi to release a total of 9 players.
IPL 2027 Delhi Capitals (DC) Best Retained Squad Players List
Batters
- Ashutosh Sharma
- David Miller (os)
- Nitish Rana
- Pathum Nissanka (os)
- Sahil Parakh
- Sameer Rizvi
Wicket-keepers
- KL Rahul
- Rishabh Pant (Traded)
- Tristan Stubbs (os)
All-rounders
- Auqib Dar
- Axar Patel (c)
- Madhav Tiwari
- Vipraj Nigam
Bowlers
- Dushmantha Chameera (os)
- Lungi Ngidi (os)
- Mitchell Starc (os)
- Mukesh Kumar
- T Natarajan
So, that’s about the best retained and released players list for IPL 2027. Overall, Delhi Capitals should retain a total of 18 players, including a trade of Rishabh Pant. The addition of Pant definitely strengthens the batting, and he is also a likely contender for the Captaincy role, if not KL Rahul. Bowling is still a concern area for Delhi Capitals, with Kuldeep not there, and misfiring Natarajan and Mukesh. This is the area which Delhi Capitals will need to focus on in the IPL 2027 Mini Auction.
Also Read: IPL 2027 Rajasthan Royals (RR) Likely Best Retained Players List
Thanks for reading! Looking at the Delhi Capitals retained players 2027, what’s your view for next IPL? Please email your thoughts.
