Patel or Rahul: Who Will Captain Delhi Capitals At IPL 2025?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Axal Patel To Lead Delhi Capitals
After weeks of uncertainty, the Delhi Capitals confirmed that Axar Patel will don the captain’s armband this season. Patel has served the Capitals since the 2019 season and was their highest-paid retention at the IPL mega auction in the Middle East last November, with the team splashing out ₹16.50 crore to keep him on board for the upcoming campaign.
The 31-year-old captained his local side Gujarat in 23 matches across all formats on the game, including at the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year. Patel also led the Capitals once in the past, against the Royal Challengers, while Rishabh Pant was forced to serve a match ban due to the team’s slow over-rate.
Patel has been a part of the team’s core for seven consecutive seasons now. During his tenure with DC, he has racked up 150 IPL appearances, scoring 1,653 runs at an impressive strike rate of 130 in that time. The DC skipper has also claimed 123 wickets at an economy rate of 7.28. Following the announcement of his role, Patel expressed:
"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.”
In the lead-up to the competition, KL Rahul was also in the discussion to lead DC this season, having done so in the past. However, the franchise opted against the India international as their captain, partly due to the fact that he could miss a few matches in the early rounds as he and his wife, Bollywood actress Athiya Shetty, are expecting their first child.
The IPL opening match is set for March 22 at Eden Gardens, so be sure to take a look at our KKR vs RCB prediction ahead of the toss!
Surprise Selection For Vice Captaincy
With Patel confirmed as the captain for the upcoming tournament most expected that a natural selection for the vice-captaincy role would be Rahul. However, in a somewhat surprising move, the franchise took to X posting a video in which they confirmed that South Africa batsman Faf Du Plessis will serve as Patel’s deputy this season.
Du Plessis has bags of IPL experience. In 145 matches, he has scored 4,571 runs at an average of 35.99 and a strike rate of 136, including 37 half-centuries and a high score of 96. He has also won the IPL twice during his time with the Chennai Super Kings and cost the Capitals ₹2 crore at the IPL auction to bring him to Delhi.
Across his club and country career, the South African has played a total of 404 T20s and shows no signs of slowing down even at the age of 40. During his incredible career, Du Plessis has made 11,236 runs, averaging 32.66 with 78 fifties and six centuries in 383 innings. His experience will be invaluable to the Capitals, who are hoping to win their first IPL title this year.
DC - one of the outsiders according to the latest IPL betting odds - will get their IPL campaign underway on March 24 when they take on the Lucknow Super Giants, and you can check out our cricket predictions for all their matches right here on SportyTrader!
