Having played a pivotal part in India's successful 2025 Champions Trophy journey with his all-round contribution, Axar Patel is now ready to become the captain of Delhi Capitals (DC) for the forthcoming 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The explosive all-rounder had taken charge of DC in IPL 2024 when regular captain Rishabh Pant was suspended from a crucial match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for an over-rate breach.
A source informed IANS on Tuesday, "Yes, Axar Patel will probably be appointed as Delhi Capitals captain for IPL 2025. The franchise had requested KL Rahul to be the captain of the team, but he much wants to play for the team as a player in the next tournament."
Having been a member of the DC team since 2019, Axar was retained for a whopping ₹18 crore before the IPL 2025 mega auction. In 150 IPL games, he has scored 1,653 runs at a strike rate of 130.88 and taken 123 wickets with his left-arm spin at an economy rate of 7.28.
He was India's vice-captain earlier this year when they defeated England 4-1 at home in a T20I series. His likely appointment as DC's captain in IPL 2025 will be a serious test of his leadership, particularly since the franchise is still in search of a first-ever IPL title.
KL Rahul was also in the frame for the captaincy after he was bought by DC for ₹14 crore during the last mega auction. The experienced wicketkeeper-batter had previously captained Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for two years each, leading LSG to the playoffs in both 2022 and 2023.
But, as per sources, Rahul will feature as a specialist batsman without any leadership role. Delhi Capitals will start their IPL 2025 season against Lucknow Super Giants at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on March 24. Before the season opener, the team will conduct a short three-day training camp in New Delhi before they leave for Visakhapatnam on March 17.
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