3 reasons why Delhi Capitals should consider making Axar Patel captain in IPL 2025

Veteran all-rounder Axar Patel was one of the four retentions by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Along with him, the franchise retained the services of Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel.

However, the Capitals let go of Rishabh Pant, who led the side last season. Interestingly, he was also the leading batter for the side with 446 runs in 13 games. In his absence, the team needs a new leader, who can be among the retentions or a fresh acquisition from the auction.

Patel, who has amassed 1,653 runs and has 123 wickets in the cash-rich league is a potential contender for the captaincy role. Let's take a look at three reasons why the Capitals shouldn't look beyond the left-arm all-rounder when choosing their captain for the IPL 2025.

---

#1 He has a jovial personality and is a team man

In all his off-field interactions with players and interviews, Axar Patel is often looked upon as a player who has a jolly nature. With the same attitude as a leader, he could help lift the team's atmosphere and help his teammates maintain cool during crunch situations.

Further, Patel has a positive mindset and is known to support players when they are going through a downturn. During IPL 2023, David Warner was made the leader of the Delhi Capitals side, in place of Rishabh Pant, who missed the entire season due to near-fatal accident. Meanwhile, Patel served as a vice-captain of the Capitals.

However, Capitals went through a horror form, losing their first five games and didn't find any momentum as the season progressed. When asked whether he should be made a leader instead of Warner mid-way through the season, he said (via Hindustan Times):

"When your team is going through such a bad season, these kinds of things make it worse. You need to back your players, your captain and if you will change captaincy in middle of the season it doesn’t send a good message."

Playing for the franchise since 2019, Axar Patel has been through ups and downs with the franchise and knows the team culture. Hence, he could turn out to be a fine leader of the side. Interestingly, he led the side last season in place of Pant, who was banned for a single game, which ended in a losing cause.

---

#2 Proven record of absorbing pressure in both departments

Over the years, all-rounder Axar Patel has stepped up for his respective teams to bail them out of pressure situations. In particular, he has impressed with his clutch performances in the IPL and T20 World Cup this year.

In the IPL 2024 game against Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals lost their openers inside the powerplay. After being promoted to No. 3, Patel repaid the faith of the team management and went on to register his finest IPL knock of 66 off 43 balls. As a result, the Capitals won the game by four runs.

In the T20 WC final against South Africa, India lost three wickets inside the first six overs. To resurrect the team's innings, Patel was promoted to No. 5 ahead of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. The southpaw slammed 47 off 31 and stitched a match-winning 72-run stand with Virat Kohli.

With the ball, he delivered in a pivotal T20 WC semifinal against England. In pursuit of 172, Jos Buttler accumulated a flurry of boundaries to put pressure on India.

However, Patel dismissed Buttler in his only first ball of the game to stop the opposition from getting a flying start. He then got rid of Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, which eventually helped the side to enter the final.

---

#3 Consistent performer in T20s for India and Delhi Capitals in last few years

Axar Patel has impressed with his performances in the last few years for India as well as the Delhi Capitals. After making a comeback to the Indian T20I side in March 2021, he became a permanent member due to his consistent wicket-taking abilities.

Since then, he has garnered 53 scalps in 51 appearances at an economy of 7.53. In 2024, he has bagged 17 wickets at an economy of 7.39.

Meanwhile, Patel has been a valuable contributor for the Capitals in the last two editions. With 518 runs and 22 wickets, he has made a strong claim to be the leader of the Capitals in the 2025 season.