Not KL Rahul? Aakash Chopra picks Axar Patel as DC's captain in IPL 2025

Aakash Chopra picked Axar Patel as the captain of Delhi Capitals over KL Rahul in IPL 2025. DC bought Rahul for Rs 14 crore in IPL 2025 mega auction.

In Short

• KL Rahul parted ways with Lucknow Super Giants
• Rahul was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 14 crore
• Axar Patel was retained by DC for Rs 16. 50 crore

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra picked Axar Patel as the captain of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2025. Aakash went for Axar over KL Rahul as DC's captaincy option. He felt that Axar had been really underrated and showcased confidence in him to run the team well. There could be a toss-up between Rahul and Axar for the captaincy option for the Capitals as they let go of Rishabh Pant ahead of the auction. DC managed to acquire the services of KL Rahul for Rs 14 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction.

"Who will be the captain? Their situation is like KKR. It could be Axar Patel. I don't mind him being the captain. If you give me the option, I would say make Axar the captain. He is extremely underrated, a very mature, fantastic performer, and he will run the team very well. He is someone who will command respect," Aakash said on his YouTube channel.

Who can captain Capitals?

Aakash pointed out that Faf du Plessis also could be another captaincy prospect for the Capitals. He was bought by the franchise for Rs 2 crore after RCB released him.

"KL Rahul could be the other option. The third could be Faf du Plessis if they wish, but they might not play Faf from the start because they used the Right To Match card for Jake Fraser-McGurk. So I am thinking between Axar and Rahul but the management hasn't given any clarity yet. My vote goes towards Axar because his performances on this ground have been exceptional," he observed.

Axar was retained by DC for Rs 16.50 crore ahead of the auction. He is also the only player left in DC's core squad from IPL 2020 final.

Aakash also called Rahul a steal buy for Rs 14 crore.

"When they couldn't take Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, they said they were getting KL Rahul for 14 crore. An absolute steal buy. Someone might say fair price, but I would say an absolute steal because it is a very small ground and has a flat pitch," he said.