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Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani has opened up on the difficult decisions behind releasing former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and young Australian talent Jake Fraser-McGurk ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
Speaking about the call to part ways with du Plessis, Badani said on JioStar, "It's never easy to release a player of Faf du Plessis' calibre. Letting him go was a really tough decision because he has been a stellar performer in the IPL for many years. But we felt it was time to move towards a younger option, someone who could bring a more aggressive style that fits the brand of cricket we want to play." On Fraser-McGurk, who impressed in patches last season, Badani said the franchise did not feel the return matched the price tag. "With Jake Fraser-McGurk, we backed him based on how he performed last season, but at nine crore, we didn't feel we got enough value from that investment. So, we felt it was best to let him go as well," he noted. Badani added that the management is satisfied with the current squad composition, saying, "Overall, we are quite pleased with the squad we have right now." Faf du Plessis announced on Saturday that he will not be registering for the upcoming IPL auction, signalling a pause in his long association with the tournament. This decision comes after 14 seasons in the Indian Premier League, during which he played for Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Delhi Capitals. Du Plessis cited a desire for a new challenge and opted to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) instead. He expressed gratitude for his IPL experience, thanking fans, teammates, and coaches for their support. The 2026 IPL auction is set to be held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Unlike the mega auctions, the 2026 edition will be a mini auction and will be completed in a single day. Du Plessis was in the Delhi Capitals squad for IPL 2025. The Delhi-based franchise has retained 17 players. However, Du Plessis was not retained by the Delhi Capitals. Faf du Plessis had a challenging IPL 2025 with Delhi Capitals, scoring 202 runs in 9 matches at an average of 22.44. Du Plessis has played 154 IPL games, scoring 4773 runs at an average of 35.10 and a strike rate of 135.79, with his highest score being 96. He has won two IPL finals, both with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in 2018 and 2021. Du Plessis was the player of the match in the 2021 final for his 59-ball 86, which took CSK to 192 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). (ANI)
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