ipl 2026 auction Abu Dhabi sees high-stakes drama as franchises struggle to build championship squads Delhi Capitals Emerging as smart operator with spend of ₹124.65 crore. DC filled its 25-player roster, including eight overseas stars, without spending just ₹0.35 crore, a display of strategic retention and calculated buying amid fierce bidding wars. captain intact Akshar Patel Anchored the core at ₹16.50 crore, while the uncapped Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Auqib Nabi Became a breakout sensation of the auction, selling for 28 times its ₹30 lakh base price.
Delhi Capitals’ auction masterstroke: Intelligent buying and Oqib Nabi blockbuster
Delhi Capitals displayed auction prudence by securing value-for-money talent along with making a spectacular splash on 29-year-old right-arm pacer Nabi, whose domestic exploits sparked a bidding frenzy. Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers BangaloreAnd Sunrisers HyderabadProphet, modeled on dale steyn Earned 29 wickets from five, with his seam movement and control ranji trophy game and 15 inch Syed Mushtaq Ali TrophyJustifying DC’s investment of ₹8.40 crore as their most expensive purchase. Earlier, DC took on South African giants david miller, ben duckett, lungi ngidiAnd kyle jamison At a base price of ₹2 crore each, adding firepower without overpaying Pathum Nissanka Joined for ₹4 crore to strengthen the top order.
The retention of the franchise created a solid backbone: KL Rahul ₹14 crore for explosive batting, -Kuldeep Yadav₹13.25 crore spin magic, Mitchell StarcThe pace is ₹11.75 croreT Natarajan at ₹10.75 crore, and Tristan Stubbs The remaining amount was awarded at ₹10 crore. Mukesh Kumar₹8 crore deal strengthens domestic momentum Nitish Rana (₹4.20 crore) and Abhishek Porel (₹4 crore) To add middle-order depth. Untapped gems like Ashutosh Sharma (₹3.80 crore) and Sameer Rizvi (₹0.95 crore) made a wise steal by mixing youth with experience for the playoff contest.
Also read: IPL 2026 auction: Complete list of unsold players including base price
DC players salary in IPL 2026
DC fielded a squad of 25 players in the IPL 2026 auction, spending ₹124.65 crore with strategic retentions and the likes of Nabi being bought for ₹8.40 crore. Below is the full list of DC players and their sold prices
| Sl.No. | player | Selling Price (₹) |
| 1 | Akshar Patel | 16 crore 50 lakh |
| 2 | KL Rahul | 14 crores |
| 3 | -Kuldeep Yadav | 13 crore 25 lakh |
| 4 | Mitchell Starc | 11 crore 75 lakh |
| 5 | T Natarajan | 10 crore 75 lakh |
| 6 | Tristan Stubbs | 100 million |
| 7 | Auqib Nabi | 8 crore 40 lakh |
| 8 | Mukesh Kumar | 8 crores |
| 9 | Nitish Rana | 4 crore 20 lakh |
| 10 | Abhishek Porel | 4 crores |
| 11 | Pathum Nissanka | 4 crores |
| 12 | Ashutosh Sharma | 3 crore 80 lakh |
| 13 | kyle jamison | 2 crores |
| 14 | lungi ngidi | 2 crores |
| 15 | ben duckett | 2 crores |
| 16 | david miller | 2 crores |
| 17 | Sameer Rizvi | 95 lakhs |
| 18 | Dushmantha Chameera | 75 lakhs |
| 19 | Prithvi Shaw | 75 lakhs |
| 20 | Karun Nair | 50 lakhs |
| 21 | Vipraraj Nigam | 50 lakhs |
| 22 | Madhav Tiwari | 40 lakhs |
| 23 | Sahil Parakh | 30 million |
| 24 | Tripuraan Vijay | 30 million |
| 25 | Ajay Mandal | 30 million |
Also read: IPL 2026 auction: Complete list of sold players with their prices
