Axar Patel reluctant to captain Delhi Capitals for IPL 2027
The Delhi Capitals management is attempting to convince the all-rounder to continue leading the franchise after two seasons without playoffs.
India spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel is reluctant to continue as the captain of Delhi Capitals for the IPL 2027 season, according to a report in The Times of India on Thursday.
Patel led the Delhi-based franchise during the 2025 and 2026 editions, but the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in both seasons. In the last season, the team finished sixth, and Patel recorded 173 runs and 11 wickets in 14 matches.
A Delhi Capitals source told The Times of India that the management is trying to convince Patel to stay, noting that he remains very important to the franchise. The source added that the management has held back on finalising the captain until the auctions are completed.
If Patel steps down, the franchise could consider Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul for the leadership role. However, the source stated that Pant does not want to think about captaincy and Rahul has not expressed real interest yet.
The team management, headed by head coach Sourav Ganguly and assistant coach Yuvraj Singh, is looking to strengthen the bowling unit. This follows the trade of Kuldeep Yadav to Lucknow Super Giants and T Natarajan to SRH.