5 players who were signed by Delhi Capitals but never played a game for DC in IPL
Delhi Capitals (DC) have been one of the most consistent teams in the last three Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons. The Delhi-based franchise initially played as the Delhi Daredevils, but before the 2019 season, the team owners rebranded it as Delhi Capitals.
Shreyas Iyer captained DC in 2019 and took the team to third position. The following year, DC made it to their maiden IPL final, but lost to the Mumbai Indians. In 2021, Rishabh Pant took over the team's reins and the team finished third again.
Ahead of the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, DC have retained the quartet of Pant, Anrich Nortje, Prithvi Shaw and Axar Patel.
While these four names have played a lot of matches for the Capitals, the following five players never got a chance to play for Delhi despite earning a contract from the franchise.
#1 Ben Dwarshuis - Joined DC in IPL 2021
The Delhi Capitals roped in Australian fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis as a replacement for Chris Woakes who made himself unavailable for IPL 2021. However, DC benched the Aussie for all the matches.
Dwarshuis is a left-arm fast bowler who has performed exceptionally well in the Big Bash League. In 2018, Punjab Kings signed him but did not use his services.
#2 Nathu Singh - Signed by Delhi Capitals in 2019
Uncapped Indian fast bowler Nathu Singh received a contract from DC in 2019. The right-arm medium pacer was part of the Gujarat Lions (GL) team in 2017. He played two matches for GL, scalping one wicket.
DC did not include him in their playing XI even once in 2019. Singh was released by the team the following year.
#3 Bandaru Ayyappa - Signed by DC in 2019
Andhra Pradesh-based fast bowler Bandaru Ayyappa bagged his maiden IPL deal from the Delhi Capitals in 2019. He received a chance to spend time with the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly.
Ayyappa has good numbers in domestic cricket, but he failed to make it into the DC playing XI.
#4 Kulwant Khejroliya - Joined DC in 2021
Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fast bowler Kulwant Khejroliya joined Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021 as a replacement player. Khejroliya was a net bowler before he was roped in by the franchise as a squad member.
The uncapped Indian pacer represented RCB in five matches during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, but DC did not give him a single game.
#5 Vishnu Vinod - Joined DC in 2021
Another former Royal Challengers Bangalore batter to appear on the list is Vishnu Vinod. The uncapped Indian wicket-keeper earned a contract from DC at the IPL 2021 auction.
Vinod scored only 19 runs in three matches for RCB in 2017, but was in great touch in the domestic matches of the 2020-21 season. However, DC did not pick him in the playing XI as they had Rishabh Pant who could keep the wickets.