IPL 2025 big surprise: Not KL Rahul or Faf du Plessis, Axar Patel to lead Delhi Capitals

Just when everyone was thinking that KL Rahul or Faf du Plessis might lead the Delhi Capital after the exit of Rishabh Pant, the DC management has come up with a big surprise by naming Axar Patel as the captain for this season of the Indian Premier League, IPL 2025.

Axar Patel has been with DC since 2019 and was their top retention for INR 16.5 crore ahead of the mega auction last November. He was recently named India's T20I vice-captain.

Axar Patel’s Captaincy Experience

Axar Patel has limited captaincy experience in Indian domestic and franchise cricket. Here’s a breakdown of his leadership record:

Domestic Cricket (India)

Gujarat (Domestic Teams): Axar has occasionally led Gujarat in domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but he has not been a regular captain.

India A: He has not captained India A in official matches.

Indian Premier League (IPL)

Delhi Capitals (2023 IPL): Axar Patel was the vice-captain of Delhi Capitals under David Warner in the 2023 season. 

Kings XI Punjab (2017 IPL): Axar was named stand-in captain for one match when the regular skipper was unavailable.

For the DC franchise, Axar is their most experienced player. He has played 82 games for them across six seasons.

IPL Record in 2024: Axar scored 235 runs at an average of nearly 30 and took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.65 last year.

After being appointed captain of DC, Axar said in an official statement, "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."

Big Names in Delhi Capitals IPL Team

Delhi Capitals have some big names like KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis- both led other IPL teams in the past. Besides, senior player like Mitchell Starc is also a part of the team.

"We are delighted to appoint Axar as the Delhi Capitals captain. He has been an integral part of the Capitals family since 2019 and embodies the values that this team is built on," DC chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi said.