Former India player Aakash Chopra wants the Delhi Capitals (DC) to appoint Axar Patel before KL Rahul as their captain for IPL 2025. He also added that the spin-bowling all-rounder has been a terrific performer for the franchise and will lead the team well too. The Capitals retained Axar for ₹16.50 crore while releasing Rishabh Pant ahead of the auction. They failed to reacquire Pant but bought Rahul for ₹14 crore as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “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, very mature, fantastic performer, and he will run the team very well. He is someone who will command respect.”
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“KL Rahul could be the other option. The third could be Faf du Plessis if they wish so, 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 added.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra also acknowledged that KL Rahul was a ‘steal’ for the Delhi Capitals after they failed to buy Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant in the auction.
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“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. So if Rahul has the fire within because he has taken a pay cut, he must be hurting because he used to be a team’s captain and has been one of the most consistent players in the IPL, this could be the season where he is out there to prove what he can do. If someone is stopping KL Rahul from playing destructively, it’s KL Rahul,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
