All Delhi Capitals Retentions For IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals, after a disappointing 2024 season, have retained only four players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction with a focus on players who did well for them last season.
The biggest news of this retention cycle comes from DC, as they let go of their superstar captain Rishabh Pant. With that being said, they did retain four players. Leaving them with two Right to Match (RTM) cards. While they could use one of them on Pant, that is now looking highly unlikely.
With four players in the squad, one of them being uncapped, the Capitals have spent Rs. 43.75 crore to retain players, but due to minimum expenditure rules, 47 crores have been taken from their purse leaving them with 73 crores going into the auction. Here are all Delhi Capitals retentions for IPL 2025
All Delhi Capitals Retentions For IPL 2025
1) Axar Patel – 16.5 CrorePhoto: BCCI
Last season, Axar Patel complained about how the Impact Player rule negatively impacts (no pun intended) all-rounders like him in the IPL. But Delhi Capital still saw the importance of having a world-class all-rounder like himself and has gone in big for him.
Ever since signing with the Capitals in 2019, Axar has consistently been this team’s best player. One of the best all-rounders in the world across all formats, he has scored 200+ runs in both of his last two seasons and has taken 10 wickets in both of them. He is also a regular in the Indian Cricket team now and has had great performances in the last year.
While Axar Patel is DC’s top retention, it is not likely that the franchise is looking at him as their new captain. However, he will still be a senior and veteran presence in the locker room and on the field as he enters his 12th year in the league.
2) Kuldeep Yadav – 13.25 Crore
Kuldeep Yadav is one of the few world-class wrist spinners in the IPL and is the best limited-overs spin bowler in the world at the moment. So naturally, the Delhi Capitals have done everything in their power to retain him.
In the past three seasons, Kuldeep has overtaken Yuzvendra Chahal as the top leggie not only in the league but in the national team as well. In the 2024 season, Yadav took 16 wickets in 11 games at an economy of 8.7, quite low in a year where 200+ scores were the norm. And recently, he has even improved a lot with the bat, as seen across formats in international cricket.
While it was a no-brainer that the Capitals retained him, it is still the reward for all the good work he has done for this franchise over the past three seasons.
3) Tristan Stubbs – 10 Crore
Tristan Stubbs has been one of the most impressive limited-overs batters in the world in the past year. And the Delhi Capitals will be seeing him as a future legend of the franchise.
After two seasons of barely any game time with the Mumbai Indians, the South African got to play a full season of the IPL for the first time in 2024, and he rocked the league. Coming down to bat towards the end of the inning, Stubbs scored 378 runs in 14 games with an average of 54 and a strike rate of over 190. He even scored three-50 in the season. Since then, he has emerged as South Africa’s next big batting hope.
Having Tristan Stubbs in the side gives DC a fantastic overseas batting option, one they can build their Indian batting order around or compliment him with another overseas hitter.
4) Abhishek Porel – 4 Crore (Uncapped)
Abhishek Porel has been one of the few young promising Indian cricketers that the Delhi Capitals have found in the last three seasons. And the franchise will be looking at him as the wicket-keeping successor to Rishabh Pant.
Porel was brought into the team as a replacement for an injured Pant for the 2023 season but did not get much playing time. He did get to play the full season in 2024 and impressed a lot, scoring 237 runs lower down the order at a near 160 strike rate. He has also been in brilliant for in domestic cricket in the past year.
Retaining Porel over other promising uncapped and young players in the team shows how much faith DC has put on this young man.
Big Players Not Retained
In the biggest piece of news of this retention cycle, the Delhi Capitals have not retained their star skipper Rishabh Pant. One of the best and the most high-profile batters in India, along with being the national team’s No. 1 wicketkeeper, Pant has been with DC all his IPL career and looked like would be a one-team player for his entire career. While they can use an RTM card on him, Pant would likely be the most expensive player going into the auction.
Another surprising release has been Jake Fraser-McGurk. In 2024, he scored 330 runs in nine games with a strike rate of 234. Many would think that retaining him would be a no-brainer; the Aussie opener has not had a good year since and has even lost his place in the national team.
Other major releases from the Delhi Capitals include Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh; Indian pacer Khaleel Ahmed; South African pacer Anrich Nortje; and English batter Harry Brook.
Check Out: All Delhi Capitals Retentions For IPL 2025
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