Delhi Capitals could be heading towards a leadership change ahead of the IPL 2027 season, with Axar Patel reportedly reluctant to continue as the franchise’s captain. The Indian spin-bowling all-rounder took charge of the Delhi-based team in 2025 and continued in the role during the 2026 edition. However, DC failed to qualify for the playoffs in both seasons, raising questions about the team’s leadership and overall performance.

According to a report published by The Times of India on Thursday, Axar Patel is not particularly keen on retaining the captaincy for the upcoming season. The 32-year-old, who has won two T20 World Cup titles with India, is believed to be considering stepping away from the leadership role after two disappointing IPL campaigns.

Although the Delhi Capitals management is keen to retain Axar as captain, convincing him to continue could prove challenging. The franchise reportedly considers him an important part of its plans and has already rejected several lucrative trade offers involving the all-rounder.

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“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 finalising the captain till the auctions are done,” a DC source was quoted as saying by TOI.

If Axar decides to step down, Delhi Capitals could explore Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul as potential replacements. Pant previously captained the franchise between 2021 and 2024 before moving to Lucknow Super Giants, where he led the team in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Meanwhile, Rahul has leadership experience with Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, having captained the two franchises between 2020 and 2024.

🚨 AXAR HESITANT TO LEAD DC AGAIN. 🚨

– Axar Patel is reluctant to captain Delhi Capitals.

The franchise doesn’t want to rule him out, but it may take a lot of effort to convince him to continue as the skipper. (TOI). https://t.co/rvp4aAeE4G

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 12, 2026

However, neither wicketkeeper-batter appears particularly interested in taking up the responsibility at this stage. “Pant doesn’t want to think too much about captaincy. Even Rahul hasn’t expressed any real interest yet. But the management will have to talk to them if Axar stays firm on his decision,” the source added.

Meanwhile, reports of Delhi Capitals potentially trading Axar have also emerged in recent months. However, the franchise is reportedly not planning to trade any players at present.

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The new management, led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, is satisfied with its middle-order combination and is expected to prioritise strengthening the bowling attack following the departures of Kuldeep Yadav to Lucknow Super Giants and T Natarajan to Sunrisers Hyderabad.