Axar Patel Likely to Replace Rishabh Pant as Delhi Capitals Captain for IPL 2025

Indian all-rounder Axar Patel will likely be named as the captain of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2025. The team he joined in 2019, has already led the side in a few matches in the last two seasons. He is expected to take on the role permanently, before KL Rahul, who was bought in the mega auction, reports ANI. The team also picked experienced players like Faf du Plessis in the super auction. This is because the management has chosen to support Patel as a leader, in place of established captains such as Rahul or Du Plessis, due to their trust in his leadership and all-round ability.

Before the 2025 mega auction, the Delhi Capitals have retained four players, including star Indian all-rounder Axar Patel. He was a key man in India’s T20 World Cup triumph last year and has just been appointed as vice-captain for India’s T20I series against England. Patel has been a consistent performer for the Capitals, scoring over 200 runs and getting more than 10 wickets in the last two seasons.

Axar Patel vs KL Rahul: A Surprising Leadership Choice

After the Delhi Capitals shelled out INR 14 crore for KL Rahul in the mega auction, it was assumed that he would be their new captain. But Parth Jindal, the co-owner of DC has hinted that Axar Patel could be a strong contender for captaincy and that the team may be going in a different direction.

"It's a bit premature to talk about the captaincy. Axar Patel has been with the franchise for a very long time and he was the vice-captain for the last cycle, so we don't know whether it's going to be Axar or whether it's going to be somebody else," Jindal had told ESPNCricinfo.

Axar Patel being chosen as captain over KL Rahul is a surprising decision, probably because Rahul has not been very successful as an IPL captain. Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants were led by Rahul, who was then released by LSG and bought by the Delhi Capitals for INR 14 crore. However, one thing is certain Rahul will open the innings, but the real task for Patel will be to gather the team and lead the Capitals to victory.

The franchise has parted ways with Rishabh Pant after a poor performance last season when they ended sixth and did not win the IPL title. They have developed a great team this year, and with a new captain and management, they are hoping to do better this time around especially with Axar Patel as the new captain.