In a development that is further affirmation of Axar Patel’s growing stature, he has been named Delhi Capitals’s captain, taking over from Rishabh Pant, who joined Lucknow Super Giants after being released by the franchise ahead of the mega auction last year.
“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 on his appointment.
For the record, Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history when LSG secured him for a massive Rs 27 crore.
Earlier, there were speculations that KL Rahul would be handed the captaincy after the Capitals acquired him for Rs 14 crore in the auction.
However, the franchise ultimately decided to offer the leadership to Axar, who led Baroda in 16 T20 matches from 2018 to 2024, winning 10 of them. He also captained the Delhi Capitals once against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, although DC lost the match by 47 runs.
His T20 graph is quite impressive: he has scored 364 runs at 36.40, with a top score of 57 against RCB last year. He has taken 13 wickets at an average of 29.07, his best figures being 2/13 from four overs against Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021.
In the recent Champions Trophy, Axar was one of India’s standout performers, making handy contributions at No. 5, a spot he has made his own in T20Is, besides giving decisive breakthroughs with the ball.
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