Axar Patel appointed as the captain of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2025

Axar Patel has been appointed captain of Delhi Capitals  for ipl 2025. He has been with DC since 2019 and was their top retention for INR 16.50 crore ahead of the mega auction last November. While his captaincy experience isn't extensive, he was named India's T20I vice-captain in January this year.

Axar, 31, has led his state team Gujarat in 23 matches across formats, most recently in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024-25. He captained DC in one IPL Match last year - a must-win fixture that they lost to RCB to miss out on the playoffs  when Rishabh Pant was serving a ban for a slow over-rate.

With Pant's exit from the DC franchise ahead of the mega auction, Axar was their most experienced player. He's played 82 games for them across six seasons; last year he scored 235 runs at an average of nearly 30 and took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.65.

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," Axar said in a DC statement. "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."

The squad has KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis, who have both led other IPL teams in the past, and Mitchell Starc among the senior international players.

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, "This decision reflects the natural progression for him as a leader - from being our vice-captain for two seasons to now leading the team, he has always stepped up to the occasion for us. Axar has the full support of our coaching staff and the experienced leadership group, and I wish him the very best for this new role which I am confident he will excel in

From being an economical spinner who had an immediate impact when he came onto bowl, Axar has blossomed into a brilliant, mature cricketer whose all-round prowess was on full display in India's T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy winning campaigns recently. I wish him good luck as he starts a new innings in his cricketing journey. With seniors like KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Starc being part of our leadership group, I believe this is the start of something special for the Delhi Capitals

Axar comes into this IPL season having played an important role in India's triumphant Champions Trophy campaign. Axar took five wickets with an economy rate of 4.35 and made vital contributions batting at No. 5 in the tournament.