Axar Patel named Delhi Capitals Captain for IPL 2025
New Delhi (PTI): India all-rounder Axar Patel was on Friday appointed captain of Delhi Capitals for upcoming IPL on expected lines pipping another senior player KL Rahul, who has joined the team this season.
Currently team's longest serving player, having played six seasons for Delhi since 2019, the 31-year-old was DC's top retention for INR 16.50 crore ahead of the mega auction last November. In 82 games for Delhi, he has scored 967 runs and picked up 62 wickets at a fantastic economy rate of shade over 7.
While his IPL captaincy experience is limited, he led Gujarat in domestic cricket including the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024-25.
He also served as India’s T20I vice-captain earlier this year and in their recent triumph in Champions Trophy Axar played a key role, taking five wickets at an economy of 4.35. He also played a key role at No 5 and scored 109 runs at 27.25.
"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," stated Axar in a media release.
Axar will replace Rishabh Pant at the helm with the flamboyant keeper-batter exiting the franchise before the mega auction, and will now lead Lucknow Super Giants.
The team has seasoned players like Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Faf du Plessis, and Mitchell Starc in the leadership group, and it remains to be seen how Axar brings out the best in them to drive Delhi Capitals forward.
"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.
DC, one of the three original IPL franchises yet to win a title (along with Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru), finished sixth last season with an equal win-loss record.
For IPL 2025, they have a revamped coaching setup with GMR taking management control for 2025 and 2026 season as per their understanding with co-owners JSW.
The support staff is headlined by Kevin Pietersen along with head coach Hemang Badani, director of cricket Venugopal Rao, assistant coach Matthew Mott and bowling coach Munaf Patel. Venugopal Rao's brother Gnaneshwar Rao has also been included in the coaching set-up.
"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."
Last season, he scored 235 runs at an average of nearly 30 and took 11 wickets at an economy of 7.65.
A veteran of 150 IPL matches, Axar has 1653 runs and 123 wickets to his name, which includes a stunning hat-trick in 2016 when he took 4 wickets in 5 balls for the Punjab franchise.
DC chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi and co-owner Parth Jindal backed his appointment, highlighting his leadership qualities and contributions to the franchise.
"I have witnessed Axar’s progression as a cricketer and a leader first-hand at the Delhi Capitals,” stated Jindal.
"My relationship with him is one that goes beyond cricket. He is a much-loved character in the dressing room and is someone who I am sure will motivate the players in the squad.
"Axar has blossomed into a brilliant, mature cricketer whose all-round prowess was on full display in India’s T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy winning campaigns recently.
"With seniors like KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Starc being part of our leadership group, I believe this is the start of something special for the Delhi Capitals.”
"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," stated Grandhi.
With Axar’s appointment, all five IPL teams who needed new captains after the mega auction have finalised their leaders: Rajat Patidar (RCB), Ajinkya Rahane (KKR), Rishabh Pant (LSG), and Shreyas Iyer (PBKS).
Delhi Capitals will kick-start their IPL 2025 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam on March 24.
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SWR announces special trains for passengers stranded by large-scale IndiGo cancellations
Bengaluru (PTI): The South Western Railway on Saturday announced a series of special trains, in coordination with Central, South Eastern and Southern Railways, to clear stranded passengers following large-scale IndiGo flight cancellations across the country.
The special services will operate between December 6 and 10 on high-demand routes, including Bengaluru–Chennai, Bengaluru–Pune, Yesvantpur–Hazrat Nizamuddin, Shalimar–Yelahanka and Ernakulam–Yelahanka, officials said.
According to an official statement, SWR will run Train No. 06255/06256 between Chennai Egmore and KSR Bengaluru, 06257/06258 between Bengaluru and MGR Chennai Central, 06259/06260 between Yesvantpur and Hazrat Nizamuddin, and 06263/06264 between Bengaluru and Pune.
ALSO READ: Indigo flights chaos: SCR to run special trains to clear passenger rush
Central Railway will operate Train No. 01413/01414 between Pune and Bengaluru, while South Eastern Railway will run Train No. 08073/08074 between Shalimar and Yelahanka. Southern Railway will operate Train No. 06147/06148 between Ernakulam and Yelahanka, the statement said.
Railways has advised passengers to check updated timings on its official channels and arrive early at stations.
For at least five days in a row, IndiGo flight operations have been significantly disrupted, with a large number of cancellations and delays causing hardships to thousands of passengers. In many cases, baggage has been misplaced.
