KL Rahul Snubbed!! Axar Patel locked in as Delhi Capitals' captain for IPL 2025

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra shared his thoughts on who should lead the Delhi Capitals in the upcoming IPL 2025 season. Aakash Chopra said that all-rounder Axar Patel should be appointed as the Delhi Capitals' captain ahead of KL Rahul in next year's T20 tournament.

The Delhi Capitals are without a skipper after releasing Rishabh Pant ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. They were unable to reacquire Pant during the auction but signed KL Rahul for Rs 14 crore for the upcoming season. There is speculation about Rahul and Axar Patel as captaincy options for the Capitals.

I Would Say Make Axar Patel The Captain - Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Axar Patel should lead the Delhi Capitals, describing him as an underrated and mature player. Chopra was confident in Axar's ability to run the team very well.

"Who will be the captain? Their situation is like KKR. It could be Axar Patel. I don't mind him being the captain. If you give me the option, I would say make Axar the captain. He is extremely underrated, very mature, fantastic performer, and he will run the team very well. He is someone who will command respect," Chopra said.

KL Rahul Could Be The Other Option - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra said that Faf du Plessis could also be an option for captain. The Delhi Capitals bought him for Rs 2 crore after he was released by RCB. However, Chopra believes Axar Patel would be a better option for captaincy over both Rahul and Faf.

"KL Rahul could be the other option. The third could be Faf du Plessis if they wish so, but they might not play Faf from the start because they used the Right To Match card for Jake Fraser-McGurk. So I am thinking between Axar and Rahul but the management hasn't given any clarity yet. My vote goes towards Axar because his performances on this ground have been exceptional," Chopra added.

I Would Say An Absolute Steal Because... - Aakash Chopra

Axar Patel was retained by Delhi Capitals for Rs 16.50 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 auction and is the only remaining player from DC’s core squad from the IPL 2020 final. Aakash Chopra called the acquisition of KL Rahul for Rs 14 crore a "steal" after the franchise failed to buy Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant.

"When they couldn't take Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, they said they were getting KL Rahul for 14 crore. An absolute steal buy. Someone might say fair price, but I would say an absolute steal because it is a very small ground and has a flat pitch," Chopra said.

KL Rahul was the highest run-scorer for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2024, scoring 520 runs at a strike rate of 136.12 in 14 innings. Overall, he has scored 4,683 runs in 132 IPL matches at an average of 45.47, with 37 fifties and four centuries.

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