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The Delhi Capitals aren’t out of IPL 2026 yet, but they might as well be. Currently placed seventh on the points table, their playoffs hopes are extremely bleak.
Delhi have just two matches left in the league stage, and even winning both of them wouldn’t be enough to put them in the last four. Apart from help from other results, they will also need a significant improvement to their net run rate.
Currently, they have 5 wins from 12 matches, and among others, their captain, Axar Patel, has also come under fire for not allowing the team to settle into one line-up.
The Delhi Capitals haven’t made the IPL playoffs since 2021, and 5 seasons in a row without a spot in the top four is quite reminiscent of their Delhi Daredevils days. Despite making the last four thrice in the first five IPL seasons (2008-2012), they had to wait till 2019 to qualify again.
DC made the playoffs three years in a row between 2019 and 2021, but have faltered since then. Now, reports suggest that skipper Axar Patel, alongside the rest of Delhi Capitals’ coaching staff, are set to lose their jobs before the start of IPL 2027.
In this article, we will look at the players most likely to be released by DC before IPL 2027.
Top 6 players likely to be released by Delhi Capitals before IPL 2027
1. Ben Duckett
Duckett’s release is a no-brainer. Before IPL 2026, DC bought him for his base price of INR 2 crore. But just before the season began, Duckett withdrew to play in the County Championship in his home country of England to prioritise his Test career.
According to IPL rules, players who withdraw from the tournament after the auction will be banned for a two-year period. Duckett’s withdrawal means that he will now be banned from both IPL 2027 and 2028, apart from not playing in 2026.
This year, DC replaced Duckett with leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed.
2. Karun Nair
Nair has been an IPL veteran with a career spanning almost 13 years and 86 matches. In 2025, he returned for his second stint at DC for the price of INR 50 lakh.
In his first match back in the IPL since 2022, he smashed 89 runs from just 40 balls to put Delhi on track for their chase of 206 against the Mumbai Indians. DC, unfortunately, lost that day, but Nair was well and truly back.
Until he wasn’t. Karun Nair failed to replicate that performance for the rest of the season. Even this year, he has made just 18 runs in 2 matches at a strike rate of just 100.
With the Delhi Capitals overflooded with top-order options, Nair’s second shot at an IPL career might truly end this year.
3. Pathum Nissanka
After impressing for his country, Sri Lanka, over the past year, especially at the home T20 World Cup in March, there were a lot of expectations on Pathum Nissanka. But, he hasn’t fulfilled them all.
DC bought him for INR 4 crore, but Nissanka hasn’t been very consistent. In 10 matches, he made two fifties, but has just 278 runs in total. With a batting average of 28 and a strike rate of 158, the Delhi Capitals will be tempted to look past him, especially with Prithvi Shaw, Nitish Rana and Abhishek Porel all vying for a top-order spot.
4. Vipraj Nigam
The UP leg-spinner was bought by the Delhi Capitals in 2025 for INR 50 lakh. In his first-ever IPL match, Nigam showed his full hitting range on display as DC chased down 210 against the Lucknow Super Giants with just one wicket to spare.
Last season, he did decently with his leg spin, but this year, he has been fully blunted. In 5 matches, he has taken just 2 wickets at an average of 56.5 and a bowling economy rate of 12.55 runs per over.
With Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Rehan Ahmed available, DC is not likely to stick to Nigam.
5. Kyle Jamieson
At the Player Auction, Delhi Capitals bought New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson for his base price of INR 2 crores. DC would become the fourth team to sign him, and the third to give him game time in the IPL.
But, just like Nigam, Jamieson too has been erratic and undone in this year’s IPL. He has taken just 2 wickets in 2 matches at an average of 45 and an economy of 12.85.
With Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi, and Dushmantha Chameera within their ranks, DC are prone to consider Jamieson surplus to requirements.
6. Sahil Parakh
With a total experience of just 2 T20 matches, the 18-year-old batter from Maharashtra was thrown off the deep end by the Delhi Capitals.
In his first-ever IPL match, he was asked to take strike against a red-hot Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the powerplay. A two-ball duck followed.
Parakh played one more match for DC this year, making 13 runs in their successful chase of 211 against the Punjab Kings.
With Delhi almost out of the tournament, Parakh may get a match or two, but again, the top order is extremely congested at DC, so Parakh is most likely the first name on the chopping block.
Also Read: DC Playing XI vs RR — 17 May 2026 – Predicted Lineup & Team Analysis
