Team Removes Digvesh Rathi From Squad Ahead of IPL 2026

Delhi have announced their squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26. There were a few surprise calls in the squad and which saw many raising their eyebrows.

Youngster Ayush Badoni was expected to lead the team but that was a big shock as Nitish Rana, who recently came back to the team after a small stint with Uttar Pradesh, was announced as the captain of the team. Also, what was shocking was the snub of Digvesh Rathi, one of the best bowlers of IPL 2025.

Why is Digvesh Rathi Left Out of Delhi Squad?

Digvesh Rathi, who had a great season with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 didn’t make the cut into the team. The mystery spinner had a poor season with the ball in Delhi Premier League (DPL) where he was able to pick up just 4 wickets in 10 matches.

It is to be noted that Digvesh Rathi had a fight with Nitish Rana in the DPL 2025 playoff game and this possibly could be the reason behind his snub. The duo was engaged in a brutal spat after Rana slammed Rathi all over the park.

Rathi was possibly one of the finds of the season with his notebook celebrations going viral. He was expected to make it into the team but he had to face the unfortunate snub. He would now be keen to make a strong impact in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

The Delhi squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy includes a lot of IPL stars and it will be a great opportunity for the rest of the players to make a mark, especially with the IPL 2026 auction around the corner. The bidding event will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.

The likes of Priyansh Arya, Ayush Badoni, and Yash Dhull are some of the best batsmen in India. Meanwhile, Simarjeet Singh, Suyash Sharma and Prince Yadav played for their respective teams in the IPL and will be holding a key for Delhi in the tournament. Also, captain Nitish Rana will be important in terms of leadership. He recently got traded to the Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and will have a point to prove in the SMAT.

Delhi have also named Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, and Navdeep Saini in the squad but their participation will be subject to their availability. If they play for the team, Delhi will be one of the hot favourites to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Delhi Squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Nitish Rana (c), Arpit Rana, Priyansh Arya, Sarthak Ranjan, Ayush Badoni, Ayush Doseja, Mayank Rawat, Tejasvi, Anuj Rawat, Yash Dhull, Himmat Singh, Simarjeet Singh, Rahul Dagar, Yash Bhatia, Ankit Rajesh Kumar, Harsh Tyagi, Suyash Sharma, Prince Yadav, Money Grewal, Rohan Rana, Dhruv Kaushik, Aryan Rana, Vaibhav Khandpal

Subject to availability: Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, Navdeep Saini.

Delhi are placed in Elite Group D along with Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Tripura, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy begins on Wednesday, 26 November, 2025