IPL 2025: 3 DC players who might be benched for the whole season

Explore the potential bench players for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025. Find out which three DC players might spend the season on the sidelines and why.

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Donovan Ferreira

Delhi Capitals retained a total of four players before heading to the IPL 2025 Auction. They retained Axar Patel (16.50 Crore), Kuldeep Yadav (INR 13.25 crore), Tristan Stubbs (INR 10 crore), and Abhishek Porel (INR 4 crore). After they were done with retentions, DC was left with INR 73 crore to spend in the auction.

In the auction, the team bought KL Rahul for INR 14 crore and he was the most expensive player for the team. They spent INR 11.75 crore for Mitchell Starc and INR 10.75 crore for T Natarajan. These were the three most expensive players for the franchise.

DC spent a total of INR 72.80 crore in the auction and bought a total of 19 players. At the end of the auction, DC had a total of 23 players and was left with INR 20 lakh in their purse.

On paper, DC managed to tick maximum boxes and might have even figured out their starting 11 during the auction only. However, not all the 23 players might get a chance to play this season. Here are three DC players who might be benched for the whole season.

1. Donovan Ferreira

Donovan Ferreira brings the same set of skills as Tristan Stubbs to the DC squad. Both the players can keep wickets and bowl off-spin. Stubbs has already become an all-format player for the Proteas. Ferreira is yet to find a regular place in South Africa's squad.

Stubbs was one of the four players who were retained by DC before going into the IPL 2025 auction. The team spent INR 75 lakh for Ferreira. 

DC is highly likely to name KL Rahul as the skipper and also have Abhishek Porel, another wicketkeeper, in the playing 11. Hence, it will be really difficult for Ferreira to find a place in the DC's starting 11, which will already have three wicketkeepers.

2. Ajay Mandal

Ajay Mandal is a 28-year-old all-rounder who plays domestic cricket for Chhattisgarh. He is a left-handed batter and is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. His skills are similar to that of Axar Patel and hence, is one of the few players who might sit on the bench for the entire duration of IPL 2025.

Mandal made his T20 debut in 2016 and has played a total of 46 matches so far. He has scored 450 runs at a strike rate of 134.32. With the ball, he has taken 44 wickets at an average of 23.56, an economy of 7.11, and a strike rate of 19.8. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was the leading wicket-taker for Chhattisgarh and finished with seven wickets in five games.

Five-time IPL winner Chennai Super Kings picked Mandal in the IPL 2023 auction for his base price of INR 20 lakh. He was with the team for two seasons but didn't get a chance to feature in the playing 11. DC spent INR 30 lakh to pick Mandal in the IPL 2025 auction.

3. Dushmantha Chameera

Dushmantha Chameera was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders last season and played just one game last season. He replaced Mitchell Starc in the KKR's playing 11. This year, he has been bought by DC and will join Starc in the squad once again. However, the chances of him replacing Starc or any other bowler is very slim.

T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, and Mohit Sharma are the Indian pace bowlers who are a part of DC's squad. Starc and Chameera are the two overseas pacers in the squad. DC's starting 11 might have one wicketkeeper, five batters, one spin-bowling all-rounder, one spinner, and three pacers. 

One out of these three pacers should be Starc, and the other two pacers could be Natarajan and Mukesh. In case Starc is rested, Mohit Sharma can be brought in and one overseas batter can be added at the top of the order. Hence, the chances of Chameera getting to play a game for DC are very low.

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