Axar Patel has been named the new captain of Delhi Capitals as IPL Season 18 gets ready to start on March 22. The team showed their trust in him by retaining him for ₹16.5 crore, the highest among their players.

Patel expressed his happiness, saying, "It is my absolute honour to captain the Delhi Capitals, and I’m deeply grateful to our owners and support staff for placing their faith in me… Our coaches and scouts have done a superb job at the mega auction, putting together a strong squad. We have plenty of leaders in the group, which will help me a lot."

Patel has been playing in the IPL for 11 years. He began his career with Punjab Kings in 2014 and moved to Delhi Capitals in 2019. In 150 matches, he has scored 1,653 runs with an average of 21.47 and a strike rate of 130.88. With the ball, he has taken 123 wickets with an economy rate of 7.28.

He has also gained leadership experience by captaining Gujarat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and leading DC once last year when Rishabh Pant was unavailable. Now, he hopes to lead Delhi Capitals to a successful season.