Delhi Capitals have signed English footballer Rehan Ahmed as a replacement for Ben Duckett for the remainder of IPL 2026, with the 21-year-old joining the franchise for INR 75 million.
Interestingly, the Capitals have decided to strengthen an already strong spin department that features Axar Patel, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav and Nitish Rana. While Rehan offers value with the bat, he is primarily known for his effective leg spin.
Rehan, a biker of Pakistani origin, represents England at international level. His father, Naeem Ahmed, was a former cricketer in Pakistan before moving to England in 2001. A right-arm batsman, Rehan has played 5 Tests, 9 ODIs and 13 T20Is, picking up 49 international wickets.
In T20 cricket overall, he took 85 wickets from 97 matches at an economy rate of 8.13, including a four-wicket haul. He is also a handy batsman, scoring 1071 runs at an average of 18.46 and a strike rate of 125.70, with two fifties.
Rehan featured in several franchise leagues including The Hundred with the Southern Brave and Trent Rockets, the ILT20 with the Gulf Giants and the Big Bash League with the Hobart Hurricanes.
BEN DUCKETT EXITS FROM IPL
Earlier this year Duckett pulled out of IPL 2026 just four days into the seasondecided to focus on the upcoming international summer in England. Duckett, signed by the Capitals for 2 million rupees, described the decision as difficult but necessary and emphasized his long-term commitment to England. He also apologized to the franchise and fans for the late withdrawal.
“I have made the extremely difficult decision to retire from the IPL. I have given it a lot of thought and it was not an easy choice,” Duckett wrote.
“Representing England is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a child and I want to give England cricket everything I can. To do that I need to make sure I’m in the best possible place physically and mentally before the summer,” he said.
His withdrawal could trigger sanctions under the IPL rules, which allow action against players who opted out after being selected in the auction. If no confirmed injury is listed, the situation can become complicated, as the regulations in such cases allow the ban on future releases and auctions.
A similar controversy arose last season when Harry Brook withdrew after signing, raising concerns about player availability and deployment.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
23 Apr 2026 20:46 IST
