IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals brutally ditch KL Rahul, hand over captaincy to this superstar

In a surprising move, Delhi Capitals has decided Axar Patel as their next captain for the upcoming season of Indian Premier League. Although the franchise is yet to make it official, the reports have claimed Axar to be the new captain.

The Capitals had various options for the role of captaincy. KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis were seen as the candidates for the role given their previous experience. However, the franchise has decided to invest in Axar, who has been a stellar cricketer for them.

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Axar Patel is set to be the next captain of the Delhi Capitals

According to ANI, a top source in Delhi Capitals management confirmed Axar Patel to be the next captain of the team. Axar will lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025 which will be a massive step in his career.

Breaking :

So it's being cleared by the source of top management of Delhi Capitals..Axar Patel will lead Delhi this year @IPL @DelhiCapitals

— vipul kashyap (@kashyapvipul) January 16, 2025

Axar has previous experience of leading Delhi Capitals in the absence of Rishabh Pant. He also led Gujarat in recent domestic tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Adding to this, Axar was recently appointed India's vice-captain in the upcoming T20I series at home against England. The left-arm spinning allrounder is the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav, India's designated T20I captain.

Delhi Capitals retained four players this year and Axar was one of them. He was the highest retention for them with INR 16.50 crore. Along with him, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abishek Porel were the other players to be retained by them.

Axar has played 150 IPL matches so far and picked up 123 wickets at an average of 30.55 and an economy rate of 7.28. He has vastly improved as a batter over the years. He has scored 1653 runs at a strike rate of 130.88.

Dinesh Karthik confirms Axar Patel as the next DC captain

While speaking on Cricbuzz’s HeyCB, Dinesh Karthik revealed his thoughts on Axar being the vice-captain of India in the T20Is against England. Karthik confirmed Axar as DC's next captain and called it a good opportunity to lead for him.

“I really don’t know. I don’t know why he (Hardik) was stripped of his vice-captaincy. I don’t see any reason to. They have done well. They have won in the bilaterals that he was the vice-captain. Not a clue," Karthik said.

"But for Axar Patel, all the very best. A good opportunity for him. Third, he is going to be the Delhi Capitals’ captain as well. So here is a good opportunity for him to lead and show the way. He has been doing that for Gujarat as well. So, wish him all the luck," he added.

KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis to play as specialist batters

Axar Patel's appointment means KL Rahul will play as a pure batter for the Delhi Capitals. Rahul, who was the captain of Lucknow Super Giants last season, was signed up by the Capitals for INR 14 crore this season.

Faf du Plessis, who was the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024, will also play as a pure batter now. Du Plessis was signed by the Capitals for INR 2 crore in the IPL 2025 auction.