This is the first time that Axar will be leading the side as a regular captain of an IPL franchise. Previously, he fulfilled his duty as a stand-in captain for a lone game against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru when Rishabh Pant was banned due to a slow over-rate in IPL 2024. However, the Capitals lost the game under Axar’s leadership.
“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,” Axar said after being appointed the team’s captain.
In his IPL career so far, Axar has scored 1653 runs at a strike rate of 130.87 and picked up 123 scalps at an economy of 7.27 from 150 matches. It would be wrong to say that Axar lacks captaincy experience. Previously, he captained the Gujarat domestic side for 16 games and was the vice-captain of the Capitals last season.
“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 added.
The Delhi side failed to retain Pant during the mega-auction after the wicketkeeper-batter desired to go into the auction. Eventually, he was roped in by the Lucknow Super Giants for a whopping INR 27 Crores, the highest-ever price for a player in an IPL auction.
The Capitals chairman, Kiran Kumar Grandh, he expressed joy on Axar’s appointment: “We are delighted to appoint Axar as the Delhi Capitals captain. He has been an integral part of the Capitals family since 2019 and embodies the values that this team is built on. This decision reflects the natural progression for him as a leader – from being our vice-captain for two seasons to now leading the team, he has always stepped up to the occasion for us.”
The Capitals will be playing their first game of the season against the Lucknow side at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, on March 24.
