Delhi Capitals Name Axar Patel as Captain Ahead of IPL 2025
Delhi Capitals have named Axar Patel as their captain for the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the franchise announced in a statement on Friday. Patel, who was signed by Delhi Capitals in 2019, was retained for RS16.50 crore and has been an integral part of the team since then.
In six seasons with the franchise, the 31-year-old all-rounder has appeared in 82 games, making 967 runs and taking 62 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 7.09. Throughout his IPL career, Axar has played 150 games, scoring 1,653 runs and taking 123 wickets including a memorable hat-trick in 2016, in which he picked four batsmen in just five balls for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).
"It is my utmost privilege to lead the Delhi Capitals, and I'm extremely thankful to our owners and support staff for having faith in me", said Axar Patel.
“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. 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”.
Even though Axar has limited experience in IPL captaincy, he is a domestic Gujarat captain and a vice-captain of India's T20I team before this year. In the last IPL season, he had made 235 runs at a very good average of almost 30 and had grabbed 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.65.
Axar will take over as Delhi Capitals captain from Rishabh Pant, who will captain Lucknow Super Giants this season. The Capitals, led by Axar, will begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 24 at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam.
