Axar Patel Out? Players To Be Released By Delhi Capitals Before IPL 2027

On Sunday evening in Kolkata, the Delhi Capitals will end yet another IPL season without finishing in the playoff spots. They were officially knocked out with the Punjab Kings’ away win over the Lucknow Super Giants on the penultimate day of the league phase. Despite assembling a high-quality squad at the auction, a mix of underperformances and questionable tactical decisions prevented them from building any momentum in IPL 2026. They also lost five of their seven home matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium — one of them after scoring an impressive 264 runs in the first innings.

Ahead of their final clash of the season against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, they have 12 points in 13 matches, with 6 wins and 7 losses. Currently, they are placed 12th on the table, and a win could take them as high as number 5, if the Rajasthan Royals lose to the Mumbai Indians. Nonetheless, a win would only be a consolation after a season worth introspecting. So, as they bow out of IPL 2026 in Kolkata, we analyze the roster and address the big question: Axar Patel Out? Players To Be Released By Delhi Capitals Before IPL 2027.

Evaluating the Delhi Capitals’ Roster Ahead of IPL 2027

With major squad overhauls expected before the next cycle, the Delhi Capitals management must identify underperforming assets and release players to free up critical auction purse. Here are three players who find themselves in the firing line after a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign.

1. Karun Nair

On the back of some commendable domestic form, the Delhi Capitals bought Karun Nair at a base price in the IPL 2025 mega auction. On his return, he showed flashes of his immense potential, most notably scoring a brilliant 89 off just 40 deliveries against the Mumbai Indians, where he took on the formidable Jasprit Bumrah on the day.

However, consistency has been a major hurdle. Across 10 innings spanning IPL 2025 and IPL 2026, Nair has only managed to score 216 runs at a strike rate of 175.60 and an average of 21.60. His fifty in the aforementioned clash against the Mumbai Indians remains his solitary half-century across both seasons. Ahead of the final match of the IPL 2026 season, he has only been featured in the playing XI twice. Given the abundance of domestic top-order options in the squad — such as Sameer Rizvi, Sahil Parakh, Abishek Porel, and Nitish Rana, who are all capable of batting at the number 3 position — the Delhi Capitals can comfortably release Karun Nair. Doing so would free up INR 50 Lakhs in their purse to be utilized elsewhere.

2. T Natarajan

T Natarajan was once regarded as one of the most exciting young left-arm bowling talents in the IPL during his breakthrough years with the Sunrisers Hyderabad. His exceptional death-bowling skills earned him a call-up to represent India across all formats. However, his career trajectory was severely impacted by a string of unfortunate injuries. Despite lingering injury concerns during IPL 2025, the Delhi Capitals management decided to back the left-arm pacer moving into the IPL 2026 season.

Unfortunately, the investment has not yielded the desired returns. At 35 years of age, Natarajan played 10 matches in IPL 2026 but managed to pick up only 5 wickets, while conceding runs at a concerning economy rate of 11.18 runs per over. Highlighting his struggles, 3 of his 5 wickets came in a single fixture against the Lucknow Super Giants, where he finished with respectable figures of 3/29. Outside of that performance, he has struggled to contain batsmen. By releasing Natarajan ahead of the next season, the Delhi Capitals can claw back a massive INR 10.75 crore into their auction purse. This substantial amount can be reinvested in securing a younger, more durable fast-bowling talent.

3. Mukesh Kumar

Opening bowler Mukesh Kumar has been a prominent fixture in the Delhi Capitals’ bowling department. He stands as the franchise’s third-highest wicket-taker over the last two seasons, picking up 18 wickets in 22 matches. On his best days, Mukesh has the ability to trouble top-order batsmen with his disciplined Test match lines and lengths. However, his primary drawbacks remain a lack of consistency and a high economy rate.

Since the beginning of the IPL 2025 season, Mukesh has recorded an overall economy rate of 10.74 runs per over. In the IPL 2026 season alone, he picked up just 6 wickets in 10 innings at a highly expensive economy rate of 11.26. Such a high concession rate is difficult to justify for a frontline pace bowler, especially considering his relatively low wicket output during this period. With the emergence and inclusion of Auqib Nabi in the squad, the Delhi Capitals could decide to release Mukesh Kumar to make way for a younger prospect with better control. Releasing the right-arm pacer would also free up an additional INR 8 crore for the franchise to utilize at the auction table.

Rebuilding the Purse for the IPL 2027 Auction

By making these clinical decisions and releasing Karun Nair, T Natarajan, and Mukesh Kumar, the Delhi Capitals stand to free up a combined total of INR 19.25 crore in their purse. This massive capital injection will give the management the necessary leverage to aggressively target high-quality replacements and address the tactical gaps that plagued their IPL 2026 campaign. As they look forward to IPL 2027, restructuring the squad around a core of consistent performers will be vital to restoring Delhi’s status as playoff contenders.