The IPL Auction is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16. The IPL auction offers the Delhi Capitals eight spots to fill, including five international positions, with a leftover budget of ₹21.80 crore. These choices could have a significant impact on their campaign.

DC's retention list has already established a solid foundation. With players like KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, and Tristan Stubbs in addition to up-and-coming Indian talent like Abishek Porel, Ashutosh Sharma, and Sameer Rizvi, the team has maintained a core that combines youth and experience.

DC has a strong pace foundation thanks to the participation of well-known international players like Starc and Dushmantha Chameera, while Mukesh Kumar and T Natarajan provide the Indian fast-bowling team depth.
In the Indian Premier League, Delhi Capitals have a track record of inconsistent play. Under captain Axar Patel, they won five of their first six games in the 2025 season, but their performance plummeted in the second half.

The Delhi Capitals nearly missed out on the playoffs after losing five of their next eight games and finishing fifth, a fate exacerbated by a crushing defeat to the Mumbai Indians late in the season. Similar to the Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals have never won the IPL title; they only made it to the final in 2020 before falling to the Mumbai Indians.

Delhi Capitals' Retained Players

Nitish Rana (traded in from RR), Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mukesh Kumar