diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/delete/DeleteIndexRequest.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/delete/DeleteIndexRequest.java
index f1d7d38f6ac..249d22e7c5b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/delete/DeleteIndexRequest.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/admin/indices/delete/DeleteIndexRequest.java
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ public class DeleteIndexRequest extends AcknowledgedRequest<DeleteIndexRequest>
 
     private String[] indices;
     // Delete index should work by default on both open and closed indices.
-    private IndicesOptions indicesOptions = IndicesOptions.fromOptions(false, true, true, true);
+    private IndicesOptions indicesOptions = IndicesOptions.fromOptions(false, true, true, true, false, false, true);
 
     public DeleteIndexRequest() {
     }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/IndicesRequestIT.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/IndicesRequestIT.java
index 0f3812c0cd6..da50e4bf336 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/IndicesRequestIT.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/action/IndicesRequestIT.java
@@ -644,12 +644,8 @@ public class IndicesRequestIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
     }
 
     private String[] randomUniqueIndicesOrAliases() {
-        Set<String> uniqueIndices = new HashSet<>();
-        int count = randomIntBetween(1, this.indices.size());
-        while (uniqueIndices.size() < count) {
-            uniqueIndices.add(randomFrom(this.indices));
-        }
-        String[] indices = new String[count];
+        String[] uniqueIndices = randomUniqueIndices();
+        String[] indices = new String[uniqueIndices.length];
         int i = 0;
         for (String index : uniqueIndices) {
             indices[i++] = randomBoolean() ? index + "-alias" : index;
@@ -657,6 +653,15 @@ public class IndicesRequestIT extends ESIntegTestCase {
         return indices;
     }
 
+    private String[] randomUniqueIndices() {
+        Set<String> uniqueIndices = new HashSet<>();
+        int count = randomIntBetween(1, this.indices.size());
+        while (uniqueIndices.size() < count) {
+            uniqueIndices.add(randomFrom(this.indices));
+        }
+        return uniqueIndices.toArray(new String[uniqueIndices.size()]);
+    }
+
     private static void assertAllRequestsHaveBeenConsumed() {
         Iterable<PluginsService> pluginsServices = internalCluster().getInstances(PluginsService.class);
         for (PluginsService pluginsService : pluginsServices) {
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/IndexNameExpressionResolverTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/IndexNameExpressionResolverTests.java
index 31e421769c2..3a5d3d938e9 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/IndexNameExpressionResolverTests.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/IndexNameExpressionResolverTests.java
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 package org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata;
 
 import org.elasticsearch.Version;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.alias.IndicesAliasesRequest;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.delete.DeleteIndexRequest;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.IndicesOptions;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterName;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.ClusterState;
@@ -1042,4 +1044,100 @@ public class IndexNameExpressionResolverTests extends ESTestCase {
             equalTo(newHashSet("testXXX", "testXXY", "testYYY")));
         assertWarnings("support for '+' as part of index expressions is deprecated");
     }
+
+    public void testDeleteIndexIgnoresAliases() {
+        MetaData.Builder mdBuilder = MetaData.builder()
+                .put(indexBuilder("test-index").state(State.OPEN)
+                        .putAlias(AliasMetaData.builder("test-alias")))
+                .put(indexBuilder("index").state(State.OPEN)
+                        .putAlias(AliasMetaData.builder("test-alias2")));
+        ClusterState state = ClusterState.builder(new ClusterName("_name")).metaData(mdBuilder).build();
+        {
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, new DeleteIndexRequest("test-alias"));
+            assertEquals(0, indices.length);
+        }
+        {
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, new DeleteIndexRequest("test-a*"));
+            assertEquals(0, indices.length);
+        }
+        {
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, new DeleteIndexRequest("test-index"));
+            assertEquals(1, indices.length);
+            assertEquals("test-index", indices[0]);
+        }
+        {
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, new DeleteIndexRequest("test-*"));
+            assertEquals(1, indices.length);
+            assertEquals("test-index", indices[0]);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testIndicesAliasesRequestIgnoresAliases() {
+        MetaData.Builder mdBuilder = MetaData.builder()
+                .put(indexBuilder("test-index").state(State.OPEN)
+                        .putAlias(AliasMetaData.builder("test-alias")))
+                .put(indexBuilder("index").state(State.OPEN)
+                        .putAlias(AliasMetaData.builder("test-alias2")));
+        ClusterState state = ClusterState.builder(new ClusterName("_name")).metaData(mdBuilder).build();
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.add().index("test-alias");
+            expectThrows(IndexNotFoundException.class, () -> indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions));
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.add().index("test-a*");
+            expectThrows(IndexNotFoundException.class, () -> indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions));
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.add().index("test-index");
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions);
+            assertEquals(1, indices.length);
+            assertEquals("test-index", indices[0]);
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.add().index("test-*");
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions);
+            assertEquals(1, indices.length);
+            assertEquals("test-index", indices[0]);
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.remove().index("test-alias");
+            expectThrows(IndexNotFoundException.class, () -> indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions));
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.remove().index("test-a*");
+            expectThrows(IndexNotFoundException.class, () -> indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions));
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.remove().index("test-index");
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions);
+            assertEquals(1, indices.length);
+            assertEquals("test-index", indices[0]);
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.remove().index("test-*");
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions);
+            assertEquals(1, indices.length);
+            assertEquals("test-index", indices[0]);
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.removeIndex().index("test-alias");
+            expectThrows(IndexNotFoundException.class, () -> indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions));
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.removeIndex().index("test-a*");
+            expectThrows(IndexNotFoundException.class, () -> indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions));
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.removeIndex().index("test-index");
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions);
+            assertEquals(1, indices.length);
+            assertEquals("test-index", indices[0]);
+        }
+        {
+            IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions aliasActions = IndicesAliasesRequest.AliasActions.removeIndex().index("test-*");
+            String[] indices = indexNameExpressionResolver.concreteIndexNames(state, aliasActions);
+            assertEquals(1, indices.length);
+            assertEquals("test-index", indices[0]);
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/docs/reference/migration/migrate_6_0/indices.asciidoc b/docs/reference/migration/migrate_6_0/indices.asciidoc
index 5ef42303a54..b0be942a418 100644
--- a/docs/reference/migration/migrate_6_0/indices.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/reference/migration/migrate_6_0/indices.asciidoc
@@ -56,3 +56,9 @@ will be marked for deletion.
 The index parameter in the update-aliases, put-alias, and delete-alias APIs no
 longer accepts alias names. Instead, it accepts only index names (or wildcards
 which will expand to matching indices).
+
+==== Delete index api resolves indices expressions only against indices
+
+The index parameter in the delete index API no longer accepts alias names.
+Instead, it accepts only index names (or wildcards which will expand to
+matching indices).