Delhi Capitals Captaincy Dilemma: Axar Patel 'Reluctant' to Continue After Two Unsuccessful IPL Seasons

Delhi Capitals face a captaincy dilemma ahead of IPL 2027 as Axar Patel is reluctant to continue after two unsuccessful seasons. Despite management's efforts to convince him, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul could emerge as potential replacements.

Axar Patel (File Photo)

Image Credit: ANI

Ahead of the IPL 2027 retention deadline and the upcoming mini-auction, Delhi Capitals have reportedly found themselves in a spot of serious leadership trouble, with Axar Patel expressing his reluctance to continue as captain following two unsuccessful IPL seasons.

Axar Patel was appointed as Delhi Capitals’ skipper following Rishabh Pant’s high-profile move to Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2025. However, the fortunes of the Capitals did not change as the side suffered successive campaigns marred by inconsistency.

Under Axar’s captaincy, Delhi Capitals finished fifth in the 2025 season and further dropped to sixth in 2026, failing to qualify for the playoffs on both occasions. The last time DC reached the playoffs was in 2021, and since then, the 2020 runners-up have failed to break into the top four, extending a frustrating postseason drought.

Axar Patel Reluctant to Continue as DC Captain

As the Delhi Capitals finalise their retention and releases and prepare for the upcoming December mini IPL 2027 auction, the franchise faces a major leadership void.

While the management has firmly dismissed the trade rumours, confirming that Axar and Ashutosh Sharma remain core pillars of the squad, getting the left-arm all-rounder to agree to another season at the helm is proving to be a massive challenge.

According to the report by Times of India (TOI), a source close to the DC stated that Axar Patel is reluctant to lead the side for another IPL season, but the management is convincing him to stay on. The source also said that the franchise has held back in finalising the captaincy until auctions conclude.

“Axar is very reluctant to continue as captain. The management is trying to convince him. Axar is very important to the franchise. Capitals have turned down multiple lucrative trade offers this season. The management has held back from finalising the captain till the auctions are done,” the DC source told TOI.

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In the previous IPL season, Axar Patel had a rough outing with the bat and ball, scoring just 173 runs at an average of 19.22 and picking up 11 wickets in 14 matches, while economy and strike rates also took a hit under the intense pressure of leading an under-firing squad.

Having been part of the DC since IPL 2019, Axar has established himself as the team’s emotional heartbeat, making his hesitation a particularly bitter pill for the franchise to swallow.

What If Axar Patel Steps Down from Captaincy?

Delhi Capitals have recently made a major overhaul in the coaching system by bringing in Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh as head coach and batting coach, respectively, alongside other backroom changes. If Axar formally steps down, this new-look coaching setup will have to pivot quickly.

If Axar Patel decides to step down from captaincy, the DC will have to look for alternatives who can steady the ship and guide a star-studded squad back into the playoffs. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are prime internal candidates who bring immense tactical awareness and calm composure under pressure.

Pant returned to Delhi Capitals from Lucknow Super Giants through a trade deal in June this year, making his potential reinstatement as captain a seamless storyline. Pant led the Capitals from 2021 to 2024, except in 2023, when he was ruled out of the season due to injuries sustained from a near-fatal car crash on the Delhi-Dehradun Highway on December 31, 2022.

KL Rahul, on the other hand, already has leadership experience under his belt, having led Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Lucknow Super Giants, bringing a calm tactical head to the middle order. He also led India in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

With Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh reshaping the dressing room culture ahead of the auction, settling this leadership crisis will ultimately dictate whether Delhi Capitals can finally snap their five-year postseason drought.