Axar Patel likely to lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025
What's the story
Delhi Capitals are reportedly eyeing Axar Patel as their captain for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, as per ANI.
The development comes after the franchise bought seasoned players KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis in the recent mega auction, both of whom have previously captained IPL sides.
The possible appointment of Patel, who has been with Delhi Capitals since 2019, highlights the franchise's faith in him.
Leadership hint
DC co-owner hinted at Patel's captaincy
Earlier, Delhi Capitals's co-owner Parth Jindal had hinted that Patel could be a future captain of the franchise after the IPL 2025 auction.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, he said, "Axar Patel has been with the franchise for a very long time and he was the vice-captain for the last cycle."
This only added fuel to the speculation of Patel being promoted to captaincy.
Captaincy credentials
Patel's leadership experience and recent recognition
Notably, Patel has previously led Delhi Capitals in an IPL 2024 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore when Rishabh Pant was suspended by the BCCI for one game.
He was also recently named vice-captain of the Indian team for a five-match T20I series against England, starting January 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
These experiences certainly add weight to his potential captaincy for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025.
Rahul
Will Rahul be ignored for the captaincy role?
It was earlier speculated that Rahul is most likely to captain DC.
Rahul's leadership skills are highly sought after in the IPL, having shown a calm head under pressure and being easily approachable.
The batter's captaincy was crucial in taking Lucknow Super Giants to the playoffs twice in 2022 and 2023.
Notably, Rahul fetched a massive ₹14 crore from DC in the IPL 2025 mega auction.