Five Players Likely to Be Dropped (ft. Mukesh Kumar)- IPL

The Delhi Capitals (DC) started IPL 2025 with a lot of hope and excitement. Led by Axar Patel, the team looked strong in the beginning, winning their first four matches in a row. This great start made fans believe DC could go far in the tournament, maybe even make it to the playoffs.

But things quickly took a turn for the worse. After those four wins, DC couldn’t win a single match in their next six games. Their form completely dropped, and they were knocked out of the tournament even before playing their final game.

It was a disappointing end for a team that had some big names and a lot of talent. Fans and cricket experts were left shocked, as it felt like another season where DC showed promise but couldn’t deliver when it mattered most.

Top 5 DC Released Players 2026

1. Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar, who is good at swinging the ball early and bowling yorkers at the end, has had a tough time this season with the Delhi Capitals. In 11 matches, he took 11 wickets but gave away too many runs, with an economy rate above 10. He found it hard to keep control, especially in pressure moments, and often leaked runs when the team needed him to bowl tightly. Because of these inconsistent performances and not taking important wickets, his place in the team is now uncertain. Delhi might consider replacing him with a more reliable and in-form Indian fast bowler to strengthen their bowling.

2. Mohit Sharma

Mohit has failed to live up to his reputation of being an experienced bowler in the IPL. Making his move from GT to DC, Sharma has only managed to take 2 wickets from 7 games. In fact, he has been quite expensive, given that his economy rate stands at 10.00 at the moment. He was picked up by DC for a whooping Rs 2.2 crore but has simply failed to justify the price tag.

3. Dushmantha Chameera

Dushmantha Chameera, the fast bowler from Sri Lanka. He is known for bowling fast, but this season was tough for him with the Delhi Capitals. He took only 4 wickets and gave away a lot of runs, with a high rate of 11.40 runs per over. He often found it hard to bowl in the right spots, giving the batsmen many easy runs. Whether it was at the start or the end of the game, he couldn’t make much difference. In this tournament, it’s important to be careful and steady, not just fast, and Chameera couldn’t do that well for his team.

4. T Natarajan

Another talent who has been underutilized by DC this season is T Natarajan. The Tamil Nadu pacer, who did not feature in any of the matches until May due to a possible injury, has played just two matches for DC. In the one match that he did bowl, he went wicketless while conceding 49 runs. If DC do not intend to use him regularly, they could might as well release him and find another trustable pacer.

5. Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis is a very experienced South African batsman who usually gives his team a strong and steady start. But this season, playing for Delhi Capitals, he hasn’t been in good form. In 8 matches, he scored just 179 runs with a strike rate around 120, which isn’t great for someone opening the batting. Also, Faf is getting older, he’ll turn 41 in July. Because of this, Delhi Capitals might want to think about giving younger, more energetic players a chance to open. If they decide to move on from Faf, it could also free up a spot for another overseas player who can bring fresh energy and more powerful hitting to the team.

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