Axar Patel has been appointed as the captain of Delhi Capitals, right at a time when IPL season 18 is all set to start from 22 March. While KL Rahul was also in the side, Patel has probably been rewarded for his loyalty and past performances for the side.
In a statement by DC about the captaincy announcement, Patel said, “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… 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.”
Axar Patel IPL stats:
Axar Patel has been a part of IPL for the last 11 years, starting his career with the Punjab Kings in 2014 before heading to Delhi Capitals in 2019. In the last few years, Patel has become a veteran in the side and had also been elevated to the vice-captain spot.
In the 150 matches played so far, Patel has scored 1653 runs at an average of 21.47 and a strike rate of 130.88, with a highest score of 66. With the ball, the 31-year-old has taken 123 wickets with an economy rate of just 7.28.
However, in the recent times, Patel has emerged as a much more improved player as he batted for India at the number 5 spot while also acting as a 10 over bank for captain Rohit Sharma during the recently concluded Champions Trophy that India won.
Patel was DC’s highest retention ahead of the IPL auction at ₹16.5 crore and they will be hoping for the star all-rounder to put his best foot forward in the coming season.
Axar Patel captaincy record:
While Axar has been the vice-captain of the side for the last few seasons he has only captained the franchise once last year when Rishabh Pant was out due to slow over rate ban. In a major clash against RCB, DC had lost by 47 runs.
Meanwhile, Patel has also gained domestic captaincy experience after captaining the Gujarat team in all of Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy matches last year.
