Darshan Nalkande’s IPL career is a study in patience. The Vidarbha right-arm quick has spent six seasons on IPL rosters and taken the field just six times, all of them for the Gujarat Titans between 2022 and 2024. In those brief outings he showed a genuine wicket-taking streak, striking at least once in every season he bowled, with his finest evening coming against the Lucknow Super Giants in April 2024 when his 2 for 21 dismissed both KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis. That spell remains his calling card.
Delhi Capitals saw enough to spend INR 30 lakh on him at the IPL 2025 mega auction, yet he did not play a single match in the 2025 season. Released before the IPL 2026 mini auction, he went unsold at a base price of INR 30 lakh and has not played an IPL game since April 2024. His Darshan Nalkande IPL stats tell the story of a bowler who has never quite got the extended run his domestic record suggests he deserves. Here is the complete record: his teams, season-by-season numbers, price history, and where he stands ahead of IPL 2027.
Darshan Nalkande IPL Stats Overview
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Darshan Girish Nalkande |
| IPL Debut | 2022 (Gujarat Titans) |
| Role | Bowler |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm fast medium |
| Nationality | Indian |
| IPL Matches | 6 |
| IPL Runs | 12 |
| Highest Score | 12 |
| IPL Wickets | 6 |
| Best Bowling | 2/21 |
| IPL 2027 Team | Not officially confirmed |
| IPL 2027 Price | Not officially confirmed |
Who Is Darshan Nalkande?
Darshan Girish Nalkande was born on 4 October 1998 in Wardha, Maharashtra, and plays domestic cricket for Vidarbha. A right-arm fast-medium bowler who bats right-handed in the lower order, he built his reputation as a white-ball wicket-taker in domestic cricket, collecting 88 T20 wickets at an average of 18.45 across 57 matches, with three four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls. He was part of Vidarbha’s domestic campaigns and impressed in tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where his pace and variations at the death caught the eye of IPL scouts.
Punjab Kings bought him for INR 30 lakh in 2019, but he never made the XI in three seasons on their roster. His actual IPL cricket began only when the Gujarat Titans picked him up at the 2022 mega auction. He remains an uncapped player, which keeps him in the uncapped set at auctions and shapes how franchises value him.
Darshan Nalkande IPL Teams
| Season | Team | Status | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Punjab Kings (KXIP) | Auction (INR 30 lakh) | 0 |
| 2020 | Punjab Kings (KXIP) | Retained | 0 |
| 2021 | Punjab Kings | Retained | 0 |
| 2022 | Gujarat Titans | Auction (INR 20 lakh) | 2 |
| 2023 | Gujarat Titans | Retained | 1 |
| 2024 | Gujarat Titans | Retained | 3 |
| 2025 | Delhi Capitals | Auction (INR 30 lakh) | 0 |
| 2026 | — | Unsold at mini auction | 0 |
| 2027 | Not officially confirmed | — | — |
Nalkande’s IPL journey is really three chapters. Three barren years at Punjab Kings, where he was squad depth behind an established pace attack. Three seasons at the Gujarat Titans, where he finally played — two matches in their title-winning debut season of 2022 alongside bowlers like Mohit Sharma and Noor Ahmad, then one in 2023 and three in 2024. And a fresh start at Delhi Capitals in 2025 that stalled before it began: bought for INR 30 lakh at the mega auction but never handed a game, with Shardul Thakur and an experienced overseas pace unit ahead of him. Released by DC, he went unsold at the IPL 2026 mini auction and played no IPL cricket in 2026.
Darshan Nalkande IPL 2024 Stats
| Format | M | Overs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling | 3 | 4.5 | 3 | 2/21 | 15.00 | 9.31 | 9.67 |
| Format | M | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting | 3 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 12.00 | 109.09 |
IPL 2024 was Nalkande’s busiest season and comfortably his best. Across three appearances he took three wickets at an average of 15.00 and an economy of 9.31, the tightest season economy of his career. The highlight was the 2 for 21 against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium in April 2024, and he also contributed 12 runs with the bat, including one six. It was the only season in which he got something close to a run of games, and the numbers suggest he might have done more with a longer spell in the side.
Darshan Nalkande IPL 2025 Stats
Delhi Capitals bought Nalkande for INR 30 lakh at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, adding him to a pace group that included Shardul Thakur and KL Rahul‘s new franchise. He did not play a single match in IPL 2025. His season figures read zero across the board: 0 matches, 0 wickets, 0 runs. At the end of the season DC released him, sending him back into the auction pool.
Darshan Nalkande IPL 2026 Stats
Nalkande entered the IPL 2026 mini auction in December 2025 with a base price of INR 30 lakh as an uncapped all-rounder in the official auction list. He went unsold and therefore played no part in IPL 2026: 0 matches, 0 wickets, 0 runs. He continued playing domestic cricket for Vidarbha through the 2025–26 season instead.
Darshan Nalkande IPL 2027 Stats
IPL 2027 statistics are not available yet because the season has not started. Nalkande is currently without an IPL franchise contract, having gone unsold at the IPL 2026 mini auction. Whether he returns to the IPL in 2027 will depend on the retention and auction cycle, which had not taken place as of 10 October 2026.
Darshan Nalkande IPL 2027 Team and Price
Darshan Nalkande’s IPL 2027 team and price are not officially confirmed. He was released by Delhi Capitals after IPL 2025 and went unsold at the IPL 2026 mini auction at a base price of INR 30 lakh, so he enters the 2027 cycle as a free agent. The IPL 2027 retention deadline and purse rules and the IPL 2027 auction date and venue will decide his fate. His last confirmed IPL price was INR 30 lakh (Delhi Capitals, IPL 2025 mega auction). This section will be updated once an official announcement is made.
Darshan Nalkande IPL Career Batting Stats
| M | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50s | 100s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 6.00 | 100.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Batting is a footnote in Nalkande’s IPL story. He has faced a dozen balls across two innings, scoring 12 runs with a single six. His highest score of 12 came in the 2024 season.
Darshan Nalkande IPL Career Bowling Stats
| M | Overs | Runs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 14.0 | 148 | 6 | 2/21 | 24.67 | 10.57 | 14.00 | 0 | 0 |
Six wickets in six matches at an average of 24.67 tells you he can take wickets at this level; an economy of 10.57 tells you why franchises have hesitated to trust him with a full quota. A strike rate of 14.00 is genuinely good for a middle-overs quick. His official IPL profile lists him as an all-rounder, but in the IPL he has been used purely as a bowler.
Darshan Nalkande IPL Stats by Year
| Season | Team | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 50s | 100s | Wkts | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | GT | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11.41 |
| 2023 | GT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0* | — | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11.00 |
| 2024 | GT | 3 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 12.00 | 109.09 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9.31 |
| 2025 | DC | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2026 | — | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
Darshan Nalkande IPL Highest Score
Darshan Nalkande’s highest IPL score is 12, made during the 2024 season. Batting down the order for the Gujarat Titans, he struck one six in that innings. The precise match context is not confirmed by available score records, so it is best treated as a small but useful lower-order contribution rather than a landmark innings.
Darshan Nalkande IPL Wickets and Best Bowling
Nalkande has taken 6 wickets in his IPL career, and notably he has taken at least one wicket in every season in which he bowled. His best figures are 2 for 21, achieved for the Gujarat Titans against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow in April 2024. In that match he removed LSG captain KL Rahul for 33 and the set Marcus Stoinis for 58, both caught in the deep, in a genuine match-turning spell. His other notable return was 2 for 37 in his debut season of 2022.
Darshan Nalkande IPL Auction Price History
| Season | Team | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Punjab Kings | INR 30 lakh | Auction |
| 2020 | Punjab Kings | INR 30 lakh | Retention |
| 2021 | Punjab Kings | INR 30 lakh | Retention |
| 2022 | Gujarat Titans | INR 20 lakh | Auction |
| 2023 | Gujarat Titans | INR 20 lakh | Retention |
| 2024 | Gujarat Titans | INR 20 lakh | Retention |
| 2025 | Delhi Capitals | INR 30 lakh | Auction (mega) |
| 2026 | — | Base INR 30 lakh | Unsold (mini auction) |
| 2027 | — | Not officially confirmed | — |
Darshan Nalkande IPL Records and Achievements
- Made his IPL debut for the Gujarat Titans in 2022, the franchise’s inaugural season, and was part of the squad that won the IPL title that year.
- Has taken a wicket in every IPL season in which he has bowled (2022, 2023, 2024).
- Best IPL bowling figures of 2/21 against the Lucknow Super Giants in April 2024, dismissing KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis.
- Career IPL strike rate of 14.00 — a wicket roughly every two and a third overs.
- Picked up by Delhi Capitals for INR 30 lakh at the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Darshan Nalkande’s IPL Performance Analysis
The numbers describe a bowler who has never lacked for wicket-taking ability but has never been given the platform to prove it over a season. In 2022 he took 2 wickets in 2 games; in 2023, 1 in 1; in 2024, 3 in 3. The pattern is consistent: whenever a captain throws him the ball, he finds a way through. His strike rate of 14.00 across six matches is better than many established IPL quicks manage over a full season.
The counterweight is the economy rate. At 10.57 across his career, and above 11 in each of his first two seasons, he has been expensive in short bursts, which matters enormously for a fringe squad player — one bad over can end your tournament. IPL 2024 hinted at a solution: in his only three-match run, his economy dropped to 9.31 and his average to 15.00, suggesting rhythm and trust help him. The 2025 season then broke that rhythm entirely; a move to Delhi Capitals brought zero appearances, and the subsequent release and unsold 2026 auction leave him outside the IPL for now. His route back is straightforward but narrow: a strong domestic white-ball season with Vidarbha and a base-price bid at the next auction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which team will Darshan Nalkande play for in IPL 2027?
Not officially confirmed. He went unsold at the IPL 2026 mini auction and is currently without a franchise, so his 2027 team will only be known after the retention and auction cycle.
What is Darshan Nalkande’s IPL price?
His last confirmed price was INR 30 lakh, paid by Delhi Capitals at the IPL 2025 mega auction. His IPL 2027 price is not officially confirmed.
How many wickets has Darshan Nalkande taken in the IPL?
Six wickets in six matches, with best figures of 2/21 and a bowling average of 24.67.
What is Darshan Nalkande’s best bowling performance in the IPL?
2 for 21 for the Gujarat Titans against the Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium in April 2024, when he dismissed KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis.
When did Darshan Nalkande make his IPL debut?
In 2022, for the Gujarat Titans in the franchise’s inaugural season.
What is Darshan Nalkande’s bowling style?
Right-arm fast medium. He bats right-handed in the lower order.
Why has Darshan Nalkande played so few IPL matches?
He spent his first three IPL seasons (2019–2021) at Punjab Kings without making the XI, got only sporadic games at Gujarat Titans, and was bought by Delhi Capitals in 2025 without playing a match before being released.
Sources and Data Notes
Statistics and player information are checked against the official IPL 2026 auction list (iplt20.com), Darshan Nalkande’s official IPL player profile, CricTracker and myKhel season statistics, Cricbuzz ball-by-ball records for the April 2024 GT vs LSG match, and established sports press coverage of the IPL 2025 and 2026 auctions. Statistics and player information are checked against available reliable sources and may be updated as new IPL matches, transfers, or official announcements are confirmed.
Statistics updated through: 10 October 2026
