Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel has confirmed that he will continue to lead the franchise in the IPL 2027 season. The announcement comes after Rishabh Pant’s return to the Delhi-based team following a trade from Lucknow Super Giants.
Pant had left Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2026 and joined Lucknow Super Giants for INR 27 crore. He became the most expensive player in IPL history at the time. However, LSG has now traded him back to Delhi Capitals for INR 15 crore. In exchange, Kuldeep Yadav has moved to Lucknow at his retention value of INR 13.25 crore.
Axar Patel Welcomes Rishabh Pant Back to Delhi Capitals
Axar made it clear that there is no issue between him and Pant regarding leadership. He said their relationship has always been based on trust and understanding.
“Between us there has never been any difference as a friend or as a captain. Basically, when he was at DC, he was my captain and he was leading me. At that time also, there was no wall between us that I am the captain and you have to do as I say,” Axar said in a video posted by DC on their official social media handle.
“We worked under mutual understanding, and we both are senior players, so we both knew what each of us could be in the given situation. As a friend and as a captain, I will tell him that he knows his stuff and he has no extra pressure from me or the franchise. This is his house, and he has played here for quite a few years. Delhi is his home. I don’t have to say a lot to him. Just that he will get full freedom from me as a captain,” he added.
Axar also backed Pant to bounce back strongly from his recent struggles.
“Just enjoy yourself and be true to your character. Form is temporary and class is permanent, and you are a player of that category. From us, you will have full freedom. So just play your game and enjoy it. So this is my message to you,” the DC skipper said.
Delhi Capitals could also see major changes in their coaching setup. Reports suggest that Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh may work together as head of cricket and head coach respectively. Hemang Badani is likely to leave his coaching role, while questions remain over KL Rahul’s future at the franchise following Pant’s return.
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