Release DataFusion `53.1.0` (minor) (Apr 2026)

[alamb]

Is your feature request related to a problem or challenge?

• Part of [EPIC] DataFusion Releases #19783
• Follow on to Release DataFusion 53.0.0 (Feb 2026 / Mar 2026) #19692

I suspect we'll end up needing to backport a few bugs on the branch-53 release, so I am proactively opening a ticket to propose / track such a release

Steps:

• Update version and changelog:
• Voting Thread:
• Publish to crates.io

Potential Content:

NOTE: we should also make sure that we backport / release anything that also went into the branch-52 line:

• Release DataFusion 52.5.0 (minor) Release (Apr 2026) #21078

Requested Bug Fixes. Format: Issue / Requester / Backport PR

• Debug assertions currently failing on main #20831 / @alamb / TODO

Requested improvements

• Super fast extended tests and improved planning speed linux #21084 / @alamb @blaginin: [branch-53] Planning speed improve (port of #21084) #21137
• chore: Optimize schema rewriter usages #21158 @comphead / TODO
• fix: do not recompute hash join exec properties if not required #20900 / @alamb @askalt / TODO
• fix: use spill writer's schema instead of the first batch schema for spill files #21293 / @alamb @gruuya / TODO
• fix: use datafusion_expr instead of datafusion crate in spark  #21043 (comment) / @rluvaton / TODO
• Remove the statistics() api in execution plan #20319 / @rluvaton / TODO
• feat: Add null-aware anti join support #19635 / @rluvaton / TODO
• regression: ProjectionPushdown failed with project index 2 out of bounds, max field 2 #21459 / @haohuaijin / TODO

[hareshkh]

@alamb : Can we add the following issues to this release please?

• Filter pushdown past children with fetch limits causes correctness bug #21063 (cc @shivbhatia10)
  • Backport PR: [branch-53] Fix push_down_filter for children with non-empty fetch fields (#21057) #21142
• Substrait join consumer produces incorrect logical plan #21124 (cc @gabotechs)
  • Backport PR: [branch-53] Substrait join consumer should not merge nullability of join keys (#21121) #21162

[alamb]

I am happy to run this release unless someone else wants to

I'll plan to get it ready for next week sometime

[comphead]

I am happy to run this release unless someone else wants to

I can continue with 53ish to get a full picture on release and hotfixes

[alamb]

Sold! I'll assign it you you @comphead

Thank you

I will then help with some of the backports with myfreed up time