IPL 2025: Axar Patel faces tough competition from 2 superstars as captaincy war erupts at Delhi Capitals
Published - 14 Feb 2025, 07:01 PM | Updated - 14 Feb 2025, 11:36 PM
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With IPL 2025 approaching, the Delhi Capitals are at a crossroads in selecting their new captain after they failed to retain Rishabh Pant at the mega auction last year. However, Aakash Chopra has suggested three names for the captaincy—Axar Patel, KL Rahul, and Faf du Plessis.
Delhi Capitals have retained the Indian all-rounder Axar Patel for a hefty INR 16.50 crore after his consistent performances with both bat and ball for the last few seasons. Axar also served as Rishabh Pant’s deputy and is currently India’s vice-captain in the T20I format, which makes him a strong candidate to take charge. And Chopra feels Patel will be the perfect choice for DC.
Aakash Chopra backs Axar Patel as Delhi Capitals' ideal captain
Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel, “I feel Delhi has three options. They have Axar Patel and KL Rahul, and they have Faf du Plessis as well. They retained Axar Patel. Bapu's stature is growing. He has been outstanding of late. He is the Indian T20I team's vice-captain.”
The former batter continued, “He will play the Champions Trophy as well and has been given a very important role in the Indian ODI team. He is mature. He is brilliant. He understands the pulse of the game. He puts the team ahead of himself. So, he could be a great choice.”
On the other hand, KL Rahul’s signing for a whopping INR 14 crore has added another dimension to the debate. Chopra said that KL Rahul’s tactical acumen and composure, apart from his leadership experience, make him another great option for the Delhi side.
I feel Delhi Capitals got KL Rahul cheap: Aakash Chopra
The former Indian batter and cricket pundit mentioned Rahul’s experience of leading the IPL teams like Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants and even India in the white-ball captaincy, saying it will work in favor of the Indian wicketkeeper-batter. Notably, both Rahul and Axar are part of India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad.
Under his captaincy, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) made it to the IPL playoffs for two successive seasons. Chora further added, “The second is KL Rahul. I feel they got him cheap. It was a steal. He has got some captaincy credentials. So, he could be the captain.”
Read Also: WPL 2025: Watch - Virat Kohli sends bold message to Smriti Mandhana’s RCB
Aakash Chopra says Faf du Plessis can be the third option if Delhi Capitals think out of the box
Meanwhile, the wildcard entry in the Delhi Capitals’ captaincy race is Faf du Plessis. The former RCB and South Africa captain, who was snapped up by the franchise for his base price of INR 2 crore, has a wealth of captaincy experience, and his strategic mind could offer Delhi a fresh perspective.
However, Chora feels it would be Axar Patel, who in the end would win the race to become DC's next captain ahead of the IPL 2025. But he didn’t write off either KL Rahul or Faf du Plessis.
He signed off by saying, “I think it's going to be a close race. One has been retained, and the other has been bought. So, one between the two, or else if they want to think absolutely left-field, then Faf du Plessis, who is not getting old at all. However, I have a feeling that it could be Axar.”
