The team that made the best choice during the IPL 2026 auction that was held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, if one has to say, was Delhi Capitals. Their decisions prior to the auction were quite controversial but they have still managed to strengthen the DC team for the upcoming season.
The team took into the mini auction a total of INR 21.8 crore with no more than eight positions to be filled. They extracted such a good deal with their money and drew other franchises’ mistakes in their favor to cover up the gaps in their squad for the next season.
DC Squad for IPL 2026
Delhi Capitals took some prudent decisions in the mini auction, besides obtaining Ben Duckett, David Miller, Auqib Nabi, Pathum Nissanka, and Kyle Jamieson.
DC squad for IPL 2026:
Axar Patel (captain), KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijaya, Dushmantha Chameera, T Natarajan, Nitish Rana, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, and Kyle Jamieson.
Buys that helped Delhi Capitals to become Strongest team of IPL 2026
After parting ways with Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk, and trading Donovan Ferreira to Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals had to fill a couple of significant gaps in the mini auction. They were looking for a batting overseas who would be an opener and a batter lower middle order. Three intelligent picks thus have strengthened the batting line-up of Delhi Capitals.
Ben Duckett
DC’s opening problems couldn’t have found a better answer than Duckett. They signed him for a base price of INR 2 crores which surprised many people. The Englishman is considered to be one of the best opening batters in the world due to his capability of handling both fast and spinner bowlers. He has been a reliable performer in the shorter format for the last couple of years. With Duckett, DC got a certified opener without spending much of their budget.
David Miller
Miller was the first Delhi Capitals enigma, and the team bought him through a steal deal at the base price. The South African went through dark times and suffered a radical decrease in his value. While the other teams did not see much worth in him, DC took advantage of the moment. They signed Miller and thus not only healed the Ferreira wound but also gained a strong player.
Prithvi Shaw
The ex-Delhi Capitals star was left out in the first round but later on, the team increased his price in the fast-tracked round. He will be with the DC team for IPL 2026 at INR 75 lakhs. Shaw is likely to be a second option, but his presence will still be a plus to the already well-endowed lineup due to his capability to create an instant impact.
