After staying at the bottom of the table for the majority of the group stage, a late flurry has taken them a place up as they finished the season 9th in the table. DC won only 5 matches this season, all of which came in their last nine matches. They lost all of their first five matches, which took a toll on their campaign.
DC missed their captain Rishabh Pant for the entirety of the season. The Indian wicketkeeper is out with injuries after he suffered a road accident last year. Even without Pant, they had ample players to make a mark, but it was a collective batting disaster for them this season which pegged them back big time.
As they prepare for the coming season, we can expect there will be certain changes in the squad. With the mini-auction later this year, we may see some players coming in which inevitably means there will be names in the release list.
Delhi Capitals: Players DC may release ahead of IPL 2024
Take a look at the players who potentially may get released by DC ahead of next season.
Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan had an underwhelming IPL 2023 season. The talented batter failed to replicate his domestic form and could manage only 53 runs in the four matches that he played. His strike rate was around 85, which is criminal in T20 format.
As the next season comes, DC may look to invest on someone else and that may be the end of the road at DC for Sarfaraz.
Lungi Ngidi
Lungi Ngidi didn’t play a single game this season. The South African pacer joined DC this year but with Anrich Nortje and Mustafizur Rahman already in the squad as overseas pacers, Ngidi found things difficult.
DC also possess a decent Indian pace attack, suggestive of Ngidi’s departure which can be confirmed as early as next season.
Rovman Powell
The power hitter from West Indies is someone on whom DC showed faith, but had to turn away as the faith was not repaid. Rovman Powell scored 7 runs in three matches this season, at an average of 2.33. He didn’t get any chance after that as Philip Salt established his place with some decent batting.
Despite Powell’s all-around ability, we may see DC releasing the Caribbean star because of his inconsistency. Powell was roped in for INR 2.8 crore by DC last year, and they may well be keen to invest in someone else next season.
Ripal Patel
Ripal Patel never made an impact in the 5 matches that he played. The Gujarat batter only managed 49 runs at a low strike rate of 114. DC need a better player in the lower middle order, and we may have already seen the end of Ripal in DC colours.
Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey was roped in by DC ahead of the IPL 2023. Once an accomplished batter, Pandey has had a struggle at DC this year. He managed only 160 runs in 10 matches, at a paltry average of 17 and a strike rate of just 109.
The batter will turn 34 next year and DC won’t mind offloading him and invest the money in young players. Despite all the experience, Pandey has fallen down the pecking order rapidly and we may have already seen the end of him at DC.
