Axar Patel wins battle of captains by trapping Ajinkya Rahane LBW for 26 with a skidder in DC vs KKR IPL 2025 match [Watch]

Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Axar Patel got the better of his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) counterpart Ajinkya Rahane in the ongoing 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, April 29. The left-arm spinner trapped the veteran batter LBW for 26 runs after the powerplay to drag his side back into the crucial contest.

DC had a poor powerplay with the ball after winning the toss, conceding 79 runs in the process. KKR's top-order fired after a poor run of games, with Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane looking in menacing touch. The hosts clawed their way back into the contest as Vipraj Nigam trapped Sunil Narine LBW in the seventh over.

The dismissal of the left-handed batter allowed Axar Patel to bring himself into the attack. The left-arm spinner struck off his second delivery itself. His fullish delivery came along with his arm and skidded off the surface to catch Rahane unaware.

The batter was late in bringing in bat down, and was struck on the pad. He did not even wait for the umpire's decision, instead choosing to turn back, and begin the walk back to the pavilion.

Have a look at the dismissal right here:

Expand Tweet

Axar Patel has dismissed Ajinkya Rahane once before in the IPL, during the 2018 edition.

DC spinners trigger collapse with Axar Patel dismissing Venkatesh Iyer after Ajinkya Rahane

Spinners have dominated the middle overs for DC after a demoralising powerplay. Vipraj Nigam and Axar Patel's tight set of overs reduced KKR to 113-4 from 79-1. The skipper delivered the crucial wicket of Venkatesh Iyer in his second over as the left-handed batter attempted a massive heave, only to get a top edge. Vipraj Nigam took a comfortable catch to dismiss the batter for just seven runs.

At the time of writing, Axar Patel has bowled his third over on the trot, with his figures reading 2-22. KKR are placed at 136-4 after 12 overs as Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh attempt to push the total.