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Delhi Capitals (DC) are set to release five players including one overseas player ahead of the player retention deadline on November 15. The star players in the list to be released are bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, wicketkeeper-batter Srikar Bharat, Kiwi wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert, Mandeep Singh and Ashwin Hebbar.
The reason why DC are likely to release Thakur is because of his hefty price tag. He was picked for Rs 10.75 crore in the mega auction. He finished Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 as one of the best DC bowlers with 15 wickets from 14 games. It was his economy rate of nearly 10 runs per over which is a concern going into the IPL 2023 season. He performed with the bat in patches but did not contribute with match-winning cameos.
New Zealand's Seifert did not get enough game time and failed to capitalise in the chances he got. Also, Bharat did not get enough chances as skipper Rishabh Pant kept wickets.
Mandeep was tried as an opener in the absence of Prithvi Shaw but he failed to deliver and was dropped from the side. On the other hand, opener Hebbar is yet to make his IPL debut.
In total, they will have an additional Rs 14.55 crore in their purse going into the mini-auction on December 16 which is likely to take place in Turkey, Istanbul.
DC need an explosive batter in the middle overs and may look to engage in a bidding war with other franchises over Australian all-rounder Cameron Green. Also, after releasing Thakur they may look rope him in again for a lower price tag.
DC are yet to get their hands on the IPL trophy but have performed better in the last few seasons. Pant-led DC narrowly missed out on the qualifier spot as they won seven out of 14 games they played. Pant was backed as the captain and Shreyas Iyer was released by the Delhi-based franchise. Iyer was later picked in the mega auction by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as their skipper.
