After the IPL 2025 mega auction, many teams face a significant challenge in deciding their captain for the upcoming season. Teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants are still searching for a leader. On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad (Pat Cummins), Chennai Super Kings (Ruturaj Gaikwad), and Gujarat Titans (Shubman Gill) already have captains in place.
Delhi Capitals retained Axar Patel (₹16.50 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (₹13.25 crore), Tristan Stubbs (₹10 crore), and Abhishek Porel (₹4 crore). In the auction, they acquired KL Rahul for ₹14 crore.
The Delhi squad has potential captaincy options in KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis, and Axar Patel. However, the team’s captaincy remains undecided. Team owner Parth Jindal recently addressed this issue, providing clarity on the situation.
Jindal said:
“It’s still too early to talk about captaincy. Axar Patel has been with the franchise for a long time and was the vice-captain in the previous cycle. We’re yet to decide if it will be Axar or someone else. There’s a lot to consider.”
“I have spoken to KL (Rahul) but haven’t met him in person yet. I know him well and will understand his perspective. Ultimately, it depends on the coaching group and what Kiran (Grandhi, co-owner) and I decide. There’s plenty of time to make a decision.”
Delhi Capitals Budget Overview:
- Total Spent: ₹119.80 crore
- Remaining Budget: ₹20 lakh
- Players Acquired: 23/25
- Overseas Players: 7/8
Full Squad of Delhi Capitals:
- Axar Patel (All-rounder) – ₹16.50 crore
- KL Rahul (Batter) – ₹14.00 crore
- Kuldeep Yadav (Bowler) – ₹13.25 crore
- Mitchell Starc (Bowler) – ₹11.75 crore
- T Natarajan (Bowler) – ₹10.75 crore
- Tristan Stubbs (Batter) – ₹10.00 crore
- Jake Fraser-McGurk (Batter) – ₹9.00 crore
- Mukesh Kumar (Bowler) – ₹8.00 crore
- Harry Brook (Batter) – ₹6.25 crore
- Abhishek Porel (Bowler) – ₹4.00 crore
- Ashutosh Sharma (All-rounder) – ₹3.80 crore
- Mohit Sharma (Bowler) – ₹2.20 crore
- Faf du Plessis (Batter) – ₹2.00 crore
- Sameer Rizvi (All-rounder) – ₹95 lakh
- Donovan Ferreira (Batter) – ₹75 lakh
- Dushmantha Chameera (Bowler) – ₹75 lakh
- Vipraaj Nigam (All-rounder) – ₹50 lakh
- Karun Nair (Batter) – ₹50 lakh
- Madhav Tiwari (All-rounder) – ₹40 lakh
- Manwant Kumar (All-rounder) – ₹30 lakh
- Tripuran Vijay (All-rounder) – ₹30 lakh
- Darshan Nalkande (All-rounder) – ₹30 lakh
- Ajay Mandal (All-rounder) – ₹30 lakh