The speculations are over. The Delhi Capitals (DC) have officially announced Axar Patel as their captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. This decision comes after months of anticipation over KL Rahul potentially taking over the leadership role, which did not materialize. With this confirmation, Axar will replace Rishabh Pant, who led the side in the previous season. Axar was the first IPL 2025 retention for DC at Rs 16.50 crore.
Axar Patel to captain Delhi Capitals at IPL 2025
Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul deemed as three massive captaincy options at the IPL 2025 mega auction. While Iyer and Pant have taken up the duties at their new franchises, PBKS and LSG, Rahul has seemingly denied the leadership offer. Now, DC have opted to make Axar the leader of their pack.
For those unaware, Axar is already India’s vice-captain in T20Is. He performed the role of Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy in the recent 5-match T20I series against England. Meanwhile, the southpaw has even led his state, Gujarat, in all three formats. In IPL 2024, when Pant wasn’t available, Axar stepped up and made his captaincy debut for DC too!
The 31-year-old has seen quite a fantastic turn around in international setup as well. In last nine months, he has won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy. What’s more special is the fact that in both those title-winning campaigns, Axar was a huge contributor for the Men in Blue. He would love to continue his stellar form going into the IPL, this time as a captain.
Axar Patel captaincy record in T20s
| Span | Mat | Won | Lost | W/L | %W | %L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-2024 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 1.66 | 62.50 | 37.50 |
A veteran of 150 IPL matches, Axar Patel has 1653 runs and 123 wickets to his name, a tally that includes a stunning hat-trick in 2016. “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,” said Axar Patel, on being appointed as the captain.
“I’ve grown as a cricketer and a human being during my time here at the Capitals, and I feel ready and confident to lead this side going forward. Our coaches and scouts have done a superb job at the mega auction by putting together a balanced and robust squad which has tremendous potential.
“We have plenty of leaders in the group which is also very helpful for me, and I can’t wait to join the team as we look forward to a very successful season for the Capitals, backed by the immense love and support of our fans.”
A new era begins today
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 14, 2025pic.twitter.com/9Yc4bBMSvt
List of Delhi Capitals’s captains
| No. | Captain’s Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Virender Sehwag |
| 2 | Gautam Gambhir |
| 3 | Dinesh Karthik |
| 4 | James Hopes |
| 5 | Mahela Jayawardene |
| 6 | Ross Taylor |
| 7 | David Warner |
| 8 | Kevin Pietersen |
| 9 | JP Duminy |
| 10 | Zaheer Khan |
| 11 | Karun Nair |
| 12 | Shreyas Iyer |
| 13 | Rishabh Pant |
| 14 | Axar Patel |
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