IPL 2023: Shardul Thakur and KS Bharat among 5 players to be released by Delhi Capitals

Shardul Thakur will be among the five players who will be released by former finalists Delhi Capitals ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction. All teams are set to announce their list of retained and released players ahead of the player retention deadline on November 15.

Shardul Thakur, who was one of India's key all-rounders in the recent past, was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 10.75 crore after he played a key role in Chennai Super Kings' victorious run in 2021. The all-rounder picked up 15 wickets in 14 matches for Delhi in 2022 but he was expensive with his economy rate touching nearly 10. He scored 120 runs, failing to consistently deliver with the bat for the Capitals.

Wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat and New Zealand wicketkeeper Tim



Seifert also are set to be released along with Punjab batter Mandeep Singh and Andhra opener Ashwin Hebbar, according to news agency PTI.

The report also said that the Delhi Capitals wanted to trade Shardul to another franchise but they were not able to crack a deal due to his high price tag. Delhi are releasing the 5 players to increase their purse ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled for December 2022.

"Shardul is a premium all-rounder but his price tag was an issue. The others who are set to be released are Hebbar, Mandeep, Seifert and Bharat," the news agency quoted an IPL source as saying.

The move to release KS Bharat is aimed at freeing up the young wicketkeeper, considering the availability of their captain Rishabh Pant.