IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Delhi Capitals add strength with Faf du Plessis and Mukesh Kumar’s addition

New Delhi: In the opening session of Day 2 of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the JSW and GMR co-owned Delhi Capitals made key acquisitions. Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was bought for Rs 2 crore, marking the team’s first purchase of the day. Additionally, India pacer Mukesh Kumar was retained for Rs 8 crore through the RTM card.

A two-time IPL champion with Chennai Super Kings, Faf du Plessis has accumulated 4,571 runs in 145 matches, including 37 half-centuries. Last season, he captained Royal Challengers Bangalore to the playoffs. Kumar made his IPL debut with Delhi Capitals in 2023, taking seven wickets in 10 matches. That same year, he also debuted for Team India across all formats. In the previous season, he enjoyed a successful campaign, claiming 17 wickets in 10 matches.

Venugopal Rao and Sourav Ganguly Discuss Delhi Capitals’ Key Signings for IPL 2025

Commenting on the acquisitions, Venugopal Rao, Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals (IPL), said, “This time, our batting and bowling is very compact. Our bowling lineup is experienced. We have strengthened our fast bowling with Starc, Natarajan, Mohit and Mukesh, who are all experienced. They will combine with our spinners Axar and Kuldeep, so our bowling lineup is very experienced. Batters will win matches for us, but bowlers will win us the title.”

On signing IPL veteran du Plessis, Sourav Ganguly, Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals (WPL) and JSW Sports, expressed, “He has been very good in this (T20) format. He had a terrific CPL and MLC. Another part of Faf’s ability is the leadership, so we are extremely happy and surprised that we got him for this amount.”

Players Acquired by Delhi Capitals on Day 2 of IPL 2025 Auction

• Faf du Plessis (South Africa) – Batter – Rs 2 crore
• Mukesh Kumar (India) – Bowler – Rs 8 crore
• Darshan Nalkande (India) – All-rounder – Rs 30 lakh
• Vipraj Nigam (India) – All-rounder – Rs 30 lakh

Delhi Capitals, co-owned by the GMR Group and JSW Group, competes in both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL). Originally founded as Delhi Daredevils in 2008, the team rebranded in 2019. In 2020, they reached their first IPL final. The team also participated as one of the five founding franchises in the WPL 2023 and finished as runners-up in both the inaugural and second editions.