Axar Patel, who is set to continue as the Delhi Capitals (DC) captain for the IPL 2026 season, highlighted the fundamental differences between leading the national team and a franchise.

Speaking at a pre-season media briefing on Monday (March 23), Axar said while he draws from the national team's culture of adaptability, it is unrealistic to expect an identical environment in a franchise setting.

Axar mentioned that franchise cricket is naturally more challenging to align because players arrive from different countries and backgrounds.

“Honestly, you can’t expect the same culture in a franchise team. There are overseas players coming in. The players are different and have different roles. Sometimes an overseas player doesn’t get his preferred playing position. You have to keep every player in mind,” Axar told reporters.

“I’d like my Capitals team to be as flexible as our Indian team. In the Indian team, we know we have to be flexible in our roles according to the situation. We are comfortable doing it,” he added.

Team India have achieved unprecedented success in recent ICC white-ball tournaments, winning 30 of their last 32 completed matches. This incredible run highlights their status as a leading force in world cricket.

The Men in Blue have also made 4 consecutive global tournament finals, winning three and losing one. The triumphs include two T20 World Cup titles and a Champions Trophy.

India’s achievements have led to comparisons with the dominant Australian teams of the 2000s, but Axar Patel doesn't believe in comparing teams across different eras.

“I don’t believe in the tag of the greatest T20 team ever. It is all about time and era. If a team’s combination is set, they can do wonders. The process started before 2024. It all started in 2022,” Axar stated.

“We started playing this brand of cricket and took some tough calls. If this Indian team wants to dominate, we have to continue playing a fearless brand of cricket, changing as per the requirements of the game.”

The DC captain also confirmed that KL Rahul will open the batting in the upcoming IPL to address last season’s unstable top order and maximize his effectiveness.

“Oppositions look to expose overseas batters with spin bowling in the middle overs. That’s why Rahul was batting in the middle order last season. But we had to adjust when the openers started to struggle and sent him where he has batted the best throughout his career. This season, he will start by opening the batting,” Axar said.