The Delhi Capitals adopted an aggressive retention policy for IPL 2025, opting for a substantial squad overhaul. By releasing many big names, including former captain Rishabh Pant, DC aims to restructure its core team.

DC have retained only four players; Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel. Hence, currently, the franchise lacks a pace attack unit. Mukesh Kumar, the 31-year-old right-arm medium pacer, also has been released by the Capitals.

Mukesh Kumar, an emerging talent in Indian cricket, made his IPL debut in 2023 with the Delhi Capitals. The right-arm pacer was bought by DC ahead of IPL 2023 for a price of Rs. 5.5 crore. Known for his pace and swing, Mukesh Kumar took only seven wickets in his debut season but showed the potential by taking wickets in the crucial stages. But in the following season, he was crucial for DC’s pace line-up and bagged 17 wickets in 10 matches.

IPL 2025 Auction: Four Teams Who Can Buy Mukesh Kumar in Mega Auction

Here’s a closer look at why these teams may target Mukesh Kumar and how he could enhance their squads for the upcoming IPL season:

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

KKR has always been a team with a spin-heavy bowling attack. In the pace department, they often depend on emerging Indian talents. To pair up with Harshit Rana, Mukesh Kumar could be a perfect solution for the Knights, and two domestic pacers will also open up an extra slot for an overseas batter or all-rounder. Other than that, in Eden Gardens, where swing bowlers have historically found success, Mukesh Kumar could be very useful.

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

PBKS traditionally remained a pace-heavy team, often relying on foreign fast bowlers. However, the franchise has gone for a complete overhaul of the squad for a fresh approach. An Indian pacer like Mukesh Kumar would bring flexibility, allowing PBKS to optimise their overseas player slots for the options that have been neglected in the past seasons, especially the spin department.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

RCB always have been a batting-heavy team, and for bowling, they remained biassed to the pacers. The only retained bowler for RCB is the left-arm medium pacer, Yash Dayal. Hence, RCB will be looking for a right-arm pacer in the upcoming auction.

Delhi Capitals (DC)

The Capital's retention list is somewhat focused on the retention of the core spin attack, but there is a high chance that the franchise could reconsider the Indian pacer for the next IPL. DC will also have the RTM option to buy back Mukesh Kumar. In the last IPL, the right-arm medium pacer was crucial for DC, and he will likely have a similar relevance in the upcoming season also.