Axar Patel has been named as the new captain of the Delhi Capitals. The all-rounder was retained for INR 16.50 crore but the franchise didn’t name him captain, despite failing to retain Rishabh Pant. In the IPL 2025 mega-auction, DC bought KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis, who were two other options for captaincy but Axar was eventually announced as the new leader.
After being named the captain, the 31-year-old stated that it was an honour for him to be named the captain and mentioned that he is confident to lead the side to success.
“It is my absolute honour to captain the Delhi Capitals, and I’m deeply grateful to our owners and support staff for placing their faith in me. I’ve grown as a cricketer and a human being during my time here at the Capitals, and I feel ready and confident to lead this side going forward,” Axar said.
“Our coaches and scouts have done a superb job at the mega auction by putting together a balanced and robust squad which has tremendous potential. We have plenty of leaders in the group which is also very helpful for me, and I can’t wait to join the team as we look forward to a very successful season for the Capitals, backed by the immense love and support of our fans,” he added.
Axar joined DC in 2019 and has represented the team in 82 matches and cliched 62 wickets. With the bat, he has made 967 runs. Meanwhile, in the last few months, the southpaw sharpened his batting skills and courtesy of the same, he was promoted to number five in the recently concluded Champions Trophy.
When it comes to his captaincy, Axar led the team once in IPL 2024, when Rishabh Pant was unavailable due to a ban for slow-over rate. Apart from that, he has served in the vice-captain role for several editions.
© 2009-2025 Independent News Service. All rights reserved.
