Toss-up between Axar Patel and KL Rahul for Delhi Capitals captaincy

Main all-rounder Axar Patel and senior keeper-batter KL Rahul are the 2 contenders for Delhi Capitals captaincy within the upcoming Indian Premier League season with the multi-skilled Gujarat man having his nostril barely forward. It’s understood that the franchise bigwigs might be asserting the title of their new captain within the subsequent few days, having waited for the Champions Trophy to finish. Delhi Capitals can have a brief training-cum-simulation camp in Delhi earlier than flying to Visakhapatnam for his or her first two video games. Axar, Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs, Australian Jake Fraser McGurk and Mitchell Starc are set to collect in Visakhapatnam on March 17 and 18.

With Rahul and spouse Athiya Shetty anticipating their first child, the senior participant might miss a recreation or two relying on the due date.
Into his seventh season with the Capitals, the 31-year-old Axar, who has performed 150 IPL video games, scored 1653 runs at a strike fee of almost 131, and took 123 wickets at an economic system fee of seven.28, seems to be a extra probably candidate to steer the staff than Rahul, who might be donning the Delhi blues for the primary time. Nevertheless, Rahul has been an IPL captain for some years now and has led Punjab Kings and Lucknow Tremendous Giants up to now. LSG reached two play-offs throughout his time on the franchise though in a kind of, he was injured for the higher a part of the season.

Rahul, who will flip 33 on April 18, has scored 4683 runs at a strike-rate of 134 plus, the runs coming principally whereas batting within the high three. He has additionally struck 4 centuries throughout 132 video games. Whereas his strike-rate within the energy performs has typically been criticised, Rahul has an exceptional file between 2018 and 2024, amassing greater than 500 runs in six out of seven seasons. The one season he scored much less was in 2023 when he bought 274 runs in 9 video games earlier than getting injured. In 4 of these six seasons, he had surpassed 600 runs. Axar’s captaincy on the IPL degree shouldn’t be but confirmed whereas Rahul has led for some years.

The composition of Delhi Capitals squad is such that it is extremely tough to have a foreigner as captain until one is Stubbs, who will most likely be a sure-shot choose throughout circumstances.