Delhi Capitals (DC) entered the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction with a purse of INR 21.8 crore. With a total of eight available spots, after releasing six players ahead of the retention deadline, the DC buys in IPL 2026 auction made sure to fill the gaps in all departments.

Which Players DC Buy in IPL 2026?

The Capitals team management invested INR 21.45 crore to secure the services of eight players. DC’s acquisitions certainly strengthened their batting line-up, while also including talented pace bowlers, in pursuit of winning their maiden IPL title. After releasing six players from the DC 2026 players list, the team management sought to add skilled batters and fast bowlers to the roster.

Delhi Capitals squad for IPL 2026: Axar Patel (C), KL Rahul, Nitish Rana, Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, Kyle Jamieson.

With the bat, with the ball, he can do it all 🔥🤩

Welcome home, Auqib 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/73gGFwUZW4

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 16, 2025

#1 Auqib Dar

DC let go of right-arm pacer Darshan Nalkande and Mohit Sharma, who retired from all forms of cricket. Despite the presence of T. Natarajan and Mukesh Kumar, a talented Indian pace-bowling backup in the form of Auqib Dar was needed for the 2026 DC squad. J &K’s Dar holds an impressive record across all formats and can handle the new as well as the old ball in seven games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025. Dar scalped 15 wickets at an economy of 7.41.

On his way to smash some biggies at Qila Kotla 💙💥 pic.twitter.com/a6ENxlElkk

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 16, 2025

#2 Pathum Nissanka

Among the six releases for Delhi-based franchises were top-order batters, Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk. To find a reliable opening batter and a long-term asset, DC pounced on Sri Lankan batter Pathum Nissanka. Nissanka has so far garnered 4,293 runs in 154 T20s at an average of 29.81 and a strike rate of 131.28, with 32 fifties and two centuries.

Sipping tea, bouncing out batters – the Kyle Jamieson way ☕💙 pic.twitter.com/rYeSSgufDM

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 16, 2025

#3 Kyle Jamieson

Before the auction, DC had two overseas pacers in the form of Mitchell Starc and Dushmantha Chameera. However, only Starc’s place was fixed, and the rest of the work was handled by the Indian bowlers. However, with Kyle Jamieson becoming one of the DC buys in IPL 2026 auction, it will prove to be a major support to the Australian pacer. In 94 T20s, Jamieson has bagged 107 wickets at an economy of 8.23.

We are ready for the Protea fire in the DC camp! 🔥🫶 pic.twitter.com/N6qlfINXIB

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 17, 2025

#4 Lungisani Ngidi

The acquisition of Lungi Ngidi was triggered by his impressive form in the T20I series against South Africa, where he has scalped six wickets in three games. Along with the middle overs, the Proteas pacer can handle the death overs as well. In 154 games, Ngidi has picked up 199 wickets in 154 matches. He played a key role in RCB’s thrilling two-run victory over CSK with figures of 3/30.

Lassi jaise smooth hits loading in Dilli soon. Welcome, Ben ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/bnYw5ATc7i

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 16, 2025

#5 Ben Duckett

The all-format proficiency of Ben Duckett finally paved the way for him to secure an IPL contract for the first time. With the departure of foreign top-order batters, the 2026 DC squad has certainly been bolstered with the inclusion of Duckett. The team management could also have imagined Duckett playing in the middle-order, as he has the knack of scoring runs against them with his sweeps and reverse sweeps. In 216 T20s, the southpaw has garnered 5,397 runs at a strike rate of 140.18.

And to add Killer Miller to this cracking lineup 🤩🔥

Looking forward, David 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/5AxLnkf49o

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 17, 2025

#6 David Miller

One of the finest buys in the auction for his base price, David Miller fills the gap perfectly for DC. He can rotate the strike in the middle-overs and explode in the slog overs. Last year, DC relied on inexperienced players like Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam to give them a strong finish to their innings. Although both of them did well, there was a need for an overseas finisher along with Tristan Stubbs.

Time to write a fresh chapter in 💙 & ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GYe5yU5FIa

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 18, 2025

#7 Prithvi Shaw

Prithvi Shaw found a place in the DC 2026 players list due to his impressive form in the domestic circuit. He returned with knocks of 66 & 66 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, which eventually helped him to bag a contract. Shaw can form a potent pair with captain KL Rahul or Ben Duckett, which could be fruitful for the franchise due to their experience.

18-year-old Sahil is ready to roar in 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/7vEJe2SPY5

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 16, 2025

#8 Sahil Parakh

The 18-year-old came into the franchise’s radar after scoring 202 runs in eight innings for the Eagles Nashik Titans in the Maharashtra Premier League, 2025. The explosive batter could be seen as a long-term investment by the franchise.

2026 DC Squad Strengths and Weaknesses

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are so ready for this 🤌🔥 pic.twitter.com/WFekdr4MGx

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) December 17, 2025

Strengths

The DC 2026 players list has its bases covered and has strong backups in the batting and fast bowling departments. The presence of explosive batters like Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, and Ashutosh Sharma will help them finish well in the slog overs. Moreover, the first-choice XI has the trio of Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, and T Natarajan, who are proven performers in the league.

Weaknesses

The key weakness after the DC buys in IPL 2026 auction was the absence of strong backups for a specialist spinner like Kuldeep Yadav. The likes of Axar Patel and Vipraj Nigam are all-rounders and don’t exude enough confidence in taking wickets. It might be difficult for the captain and the coach to settle Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, and Nitish Rana in the same XI.

Final Words

Overall, the Delhi Capitals have built a formidable squad and could have a deeper run in IPL 2026. The presence of experienced players in all departments can help to calm their nerves in pressure situations and prevail over their opponents.