"Let's go hard at him because he is the game-changer" - Aakash Chopra lauds Axar Patel's captaincy in DC's IPL 2025 win vs LSG

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Axar Patel's captaincy in the Delhi Capitals' (DC) IPL 2025 win against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He pointed out that the DC skipper made meticulous plans to dismiss Nicholas Pooran, the 'game-changer' in the LSG lineup.

DC restricted LSG to 159/6 in Match 40 of IPL 2025 in Lucknow on Tuesday, April 22. The visitors then achieved the target with eight wickets and 13 deliveries to spare to join the Gujarat Titans (GT) on 12 points at the top of the points table.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener praised Axar and the DC think tank's planning to bowl Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav against Pooran.

"Axar Patel, what a captain. He came with great planning. It wouldn't have been him alone. Hemang Badani's brain would have also been involved. They said they would start with left-arm spin. Mitchell Starc would start from one end for sure, but Axar could bowl four overs from the other end," Chopra said (4:55).

"When Pooran came, Mitchell Starc from one end and Kuldeep Yadav from the other end. Let's go hard at him because he is the game-changer. So they stopped that game-changer. Kuldeep and Starc's numbers against Pooran have been very good. The match-ups couldn't have been better," he added.

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Axar's decision to hold Starc and Kuldeep back for Pooran yielded the desired results when the Australian seamer dismissed the Caribbean big-hitter.

"I was thinking that they were getting hit and no wickets had fallen, and they should get them to bowl. However, he said he would wait for the right moment. Mitchell Starc came and dismissed Pooran. Of course, it wasn't a good day for Kuldeep Yadav. He didn't get wickets, but he (Axar) got what he wanted, and it's not the first time. Axar Patel has managed this team very well many times," Chopra observed.

Aiden Markram (52 off 33) and Mitchell Marsh (45 off 36) added 87 runs for the first wicket in LSG's IPL 2025 home game against DC. Starc bowled Pooran (9 off 5) off the inside edge after Markram had been dismissed by Dushmantha Chameera, which gave the visitors the upper hand, and they eventually restricted the home team to a below-par total.

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"He is actually a very, very decent player" - Aakash Chopra lauds Abishek Porel's knock in DC's IPL 2025 win vs LSG

Abishek Porel scored a half-century in DC's IPL 2025 clash against LSG. [P/C: Getty]

Reflecting on the Delhi Capitals' chase in their IPL 2025 away game against the Lucknow Super Giants, Aakash Chopra praised Abishek Porel (51 off 36) for playing a crucial knock.

"When it was the turn to bat, Jake Fraser-McGurk wasn't doing well, and Faf (Du Plessis) isn't fit, so they left both out. They said they would play with Indians and manage. Firstly, Porel played well. He is actually a very, very decent player. All of us know that," he said (5:50) in the same video.

The analyst also appreciated KL Rahul for continuing his consistent run in IPL 2025 while sealing DC's win in Axar Patel's company.

"Karun Nair got a good start, and then how well is KL Rahul batting. He is batting differently. It seems like he is a man on a mission. He is going everywhere, went to Bengaluru, then came here, and is saying that he is there. Axar Patel's contribution has been extremely impressive and incredible because he also scored runs," Chopra observed.

Rahul scored an unbeaten 57 off 42 deliveries with the help of three fours and as many sixes. While Porel struck five fours and a six in his 51-run knock, Axar's unbeaten 20-ball 34 was studded with a solitary four and four maximums.