“He has been doing that for Gujarat as well" - Former RCB wicketkeeper confirms Delhi Capitals captain for IPL 2025

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik confirmed left-arm spinning all-rounder Axar Patel to be the Delhi Capitals (DC) captain in IPL 2025. Karthik's remarks came after Axar was appointed as Team India's vice-captain for the upcoming T20I series at home against England.

The 30-year-old led Gujarat in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where the side won six out of its seven outings. Axar has also been captaining them in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) but the side suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Haryana in the quarterfinal.

While DC haven't yet made an official announcement on their captain for the 2025 IPL season, Karthik confirmed Axar's appointment on the HeyCB with DK show.

"For Axar Patel, all the very best. A good opportunity for him. Third, he is going to be the Delhi Capitals’ captain as well. So here is a good opportunity for him to lead and show the way. He has been doing that for Gujarat as well. So, wish him all the luck," he said [via News18].

Axar has been with DC since 2019 and was one of the retained players ahead of the IPL 2025 auction for ₹ 18 crores.

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Has Axar Patel captained DC in the IPL?

Axar endured a torrid time in his lone game as DC captain in IPL 2024

While Axar Patel has never been the full-time captain in the IPL, he was forced to lead DC in a lone game in IPL 2024. With regular skipper Rishabh Pant suspended for a game, Axar took over as captain for DC's penultimate league stage outing against RCB.

The 30-year-old did not enjoy his first taste of IPL captaincy as RCB piled on a massive187/9 in 20 overs. In response, DC were bowled out for only 140 in 19.1 overs, suffering a 47-run defeat.

Axar had a sub-par outing with the ball, producing figures of 0/24 in 3 overs. However, he delivered a stellar performance with the bat, smashing 57 off 39 deliveries to keep DC alive in the run-chase.

Yet, his dismissal in the 16th over with the side still requiring 60 to win ended hopes of a miraculous victory. Pant returned as captain for DC's final encounter to no avail as a 19-run loss to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) eliminated them from playoff contention.