3 Uttar Pradesh players who are part of DC for IPL 2025 ft. Kuldeep YadavÂ
The Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction was expected to be high-octane, and it lived up to its expectations. The auction witnessed some record-breaking deals, with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer becoming the two most expensive players in the auction history.
While seemingly most franchises signed the players they wanted, the Delhi Capitals couldn't retain former captain Rishabh Pant, with Lucknow Supergiants buying him for Rs 27 crore. The Delhi-based franchise, however, retained Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel, who form the spine of their team.
Over the years, Uttar Pradesh has been a breeding ground for cricketers who have gone on to represent India. In the IPL, several UP players have made a significant mark.
Now, let us look at three Uttar Pradesh players who will represent the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL.
#1 Vipraj Nigam
The Delhi Capitals snapped up the young 20-year-old all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh for Rs 50 lakh after a brief bidding war with the Mumbai Indians. Leg spinners are always in high demand in the white ball circuit and the Capitals didn't leave any opportunity to go hard for him.
Nigam made his first-class debut for Uttar Pradesh in October and made an immediate impact, bagging crucial wickets against Bengal, Karnataka and Haryana in the Ranji Trophy. Besides his red-ball exploits, Vipraj also impressed during the UP T20 League playing for the Lucknow Falcons.
#2 Sameer Rizvi
When the Chennai Super Kings bought Sameer Rizvi for an outrageous Rs 8.4 crore ahead of the 2024 IPL, most pundits and former cricketers predicted him to be a future investment for the yellow army. But, surprisingly, he was released ahead of the 2025 IPL after a below-par 2024 season.
The Chennai Super Kings were interested in buying back the powerful striker and had a bidding war with the Delhi Capitals. The Capitals eventually snapped him up for Rs 95 lakh. He will hope to make a significant impact if given a chance in the playing XI.
Rizvi is a powerful ball striker and displayed some of his brutal power-hitting skills in the previous IPL. He struck two sixes in the first four deliveries of his IPL career against Rashid Khan. He was unable to replicate his debut heroics in the upcoming games.
#3 Kuldeep Yadav
The biggest player from Uttar Pradesh who will represent the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL is left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The Capitals retained him ahead of the 2025 auction and he is expected to play a significant part in their campaign.
Kuldeep was bought by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2022 edition. The left-arm wrist spinner has gone on to become one of the franchise's premier match-winners.
Kuldeep worked on his rhythm and pace after being dropped from the Indian team and the results are there for everyone to see. He has bagged 47 wickets for the Capitals so far across three seasons and will look to make a significant impact in the upcoming season as well.