Axar Patel has led DC in two IPL seasons, winning 14 games and losing
Ahead of the IPL 2027 mini-auction, while other teams are busy with planning, Delhi Capitals (DC) have the additional responsibility of finding a new captain for the upcoming season. This is because the report has stated that Axar Patel, who led the team in 2025 and 2026, is reluctant to continue as captain.
Under Axar Patel’s leadership across two seasons in 27 games, DC won 12 games and lost 13 games, finishing 5th and 6th in the IPL points table, respectively.
Now, as per a Times of India report, after two difficult seasons, Axar has stated that he is reluctant to be the team's leader. It might take a lot of work to persuade Axar to stay as captain, but the team doesn't want to rule him out, according to sources. Last year, Axar's performance declined, with just 173 runs and 11 wickets in 14 games.
"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 finalizing the captain till the auctions are done," a source told Times of India.
The Capitals have reorganized their coaching staff, replacing former head coach Hemang Badani and director of cricket Venugopal Rao with Sourav Ganguly as head coach and Yuvraj Singh as assistant coach. On the other hand, DC poster boy for years, Rishabh Pant, returned home after a trade with LSG.