Axar appointed new captain [Source: @iplt20.com]
The Delhi Capitals after much-anticipation have announced their new captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Star Indian all-rounder, Axar Patel has taken the mantle from Rishabh Pant and will lead the franchise in the upcomings season with the task of taking DC to the IPL glory.
The Capitals had several captaincy candidates, but the front-runners were Axar and new signing, KL Rahul. However, KL was snubbed since he wanted to play as a regular batter instead of having captaincy responsibilities.
Why Axar was chosen over KL, Faf du Plessis?
Axar has been with the franchise for several years and knows how the team function. Plus, as compared to KL Rahul and even du Plessis, the Indian all-rounder is young and can serve the team for a longer period.
Axar's willingness to take responsibility and absorb pressure under difficult circumstances made him a strong choice for the captaincy from the Capitals' point of view.
Why was KL Rahul snubbed?
As reported earlier, KL Rahul was the first choice to become the captain of the team, however, he rejected the captaincy idea and wanted to contribute as a player. Plus, the batter is likely to miss the initial few games as the star player is expecting the birth of his first child with Athiya Shetty.
With no KL Rahul for the initial few games, DC have also been jolted with the absence of English signing, Harry Brook, who pulled out of the competition, citing workload issue. As a result, he was banned from the league for two-years by the IPL governing body.