Delhi Capitals became the last team to be knocked out of IPL 2025 playoffs race after losing a must-win tie against MI. DC started the season on a high note by winning four back-to-back games. However, they lost momentum as the tournament reached the mid-way stage.
Make no mistake, despite not making it to the playoffs, Axar Patel and co. have proven themselves to be a formidable side. However, they can afford to make some changes, do some cutting and chopping to fine tune their team for IPL 2026.
5 players DC should release
1. Karun Nair
Barring his 89-run knock in his very first outing for DC against MI, Nair has failed to deliver on the expectations. In 7 matches, he has only managed to amass 154 runs. Karun seems like a misfit in what is otherwise a fiery top-order in DC. The team may look to release him ahead of IPL 2026 and instead look for a more sustainable option.
2. Donovan Ferreira
The South African all-rounder has largely warmed the bench in this season. The Rs 75 lakh buy, who played just one game for DC this season, could simply be released to free up a spot in the squad which another deserving all-rounder could take. Besides, in his IPL career, he has played only 3 games and has made 9 runs.
3. Sameer Rizvi
Making his move from CSK to DC in IPL 2025, young Rizvi would have liked to have gotten more opportunities. However, he featured only in 4 matches and managed to amass 63 runs. A promising middle-order batter-cum-finisher, Sameer’s talent could might as well be used by another team who may put his services to better use. Besides, he has been shadowed by the presence of other finishers like Vipraj Nigam and Ashutosh Sharma in DC.
4. T Natarajan
Another talent who has been underutilized by DC this season is T Natarajan. The Tamil Nadu pacer, who did not feature in any of the matches until May due to a possible injury, has played just two matches for DC. In the one match that he did bowl, he went wicketless while conceding 49 runs. If DC do not intend to use him regularly, they could might as well release him and find another trustable pacer.
5. Mohit Sharma
Mohit has failed to live up to his reputation of being an experienced bowler in IPL. Making his move from GT to DC, Sharma has only managed to take 2 wickets from 7 games. In fact, he has been quite expensive, given that his economy rate stands at 10.00 at the moment. He was picked up by DC for a whooping Rs 2.2 crore but has simply failed to justify the price tag.
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