/sportsinfo/media/member_avatars/image 59.png)
Follow Us/sportsinfo/media/media_files/2025/01/16/BxHxuCRHcllvW5FRU0oh.jpg)
Axar Patel Photograph: (X)
Indian spinner Axar Patel is likely to be named as the new captain of the Delhi Capitals side. The reports came out late on Thursday night, according to leading news agency ANI. The 30-year-old is in fray to replace Rishabh Pant as the captain, who has shifted base to the Lucknow Super Giants.
Delhi Capitals are yet to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title. The Capitals purchased KL Rahul during the IPL 2025 auctions in Jeddah last November. It was believed that Rahul was in the running to become the captain of the side. Apart from KL Rahul, Delhi have also purchased Mitchell Starc. The Australian left-arm seamer was a key part of the KKR side that won the title.
Axar Patel made his IPL foray with the Mumbai Indians but didn’t get to play a single game before being released. The all-rounder then made his way to the Punjab Kings, where he was part of the side that reached the IPL finals in 2014. So far, Axar has played 82 games for Delhi, scoring 967 runs with three half-centuries.
The left-arm spinner has picked 62 wickets with a best of 3/21 and has an economy rate of 7 runs per over. In 2024, Axar played a key role with his match-defining knock in the finals of the T20 World Cup that helped India win the title. Delhi fans will hope that the 30-year-old can take the responsibility in his stride and can lead the team to glory.
Star-studded Delhi Capitals set to audacious IPL title bid
Apart from Axar Patel, the Delhi Capitals had retained Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abhishek Porel in the side. During the IPL 2025 auctions, Delhi also brought former RCB skipper Faf Du Plessis, who could be seen opening the batting with Jake Fraser-McGurk. The young Australian batter was brought using the right-to-match card for INR 9 crores.
Karun Nair, who has been having a tremendous season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, is also part of the setup. 33-year-old Nair has already scored 752 runs with the bat and has been dismissed just once during the season. Vidarbha reached the finals of the tournament, and Karun Nair is set to take on his former team, Karnataka, in the finals.
The team also consists of out-of-favour Indian pacers T Natarajan and Mohit Sharma. Young batting sensations Sameer Rizvi and Ashutosh Sharma have also moved onto Delhi from Chennai and Punjab, respectively.