Courtesy: BCCI/IPL
Axar Patel, the captain of Delhi Capitals (DC), was a happy man in the post-match press conference after leading his team to a famous super over win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. After taking DC to the top of the IPL 2025 points table at the halfway stage of the tournament, the 31-year-old spoke about how he is having a lot of fun as the captain of the franchise, both on and off the field, which has resonated in the results as well.
Notably, after finding themselves in a tough situation in their defence of the 188-run total, Axar Patel turned to his premier fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who bowled exceptional yorkers one after another in the last couple of overs as per their fielding plans. With that, DC managed to force a super over, during which the Aussie pacer continued being at his lethal best with the yorkers, keeping RR down to 11 runs, which was chased down comfortably by KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs.
I am doing what I think is right. I am not following a template: Axar Patel
In the post-match press conference, Axar Patel detailed the importance of having fun while taking over the responsibility, and in his case, becoming the captain of DC ahead of the IPL 2025 season. He was quoted as saying, as per Cricbuzz, “You take on the responsibility when you know you will have fun with it. I was doing it for my state team, so I knew what to do and what not to do. So when you get an opportunity to lead a side the way you want to and you can play the game the way you want to, why not?”
“I am having a lot of fun on the field and off the field. I am doing what I think is right. I am not following a template. I back myself. I am not too experienced [as a captain] but it's not like I am turning to other people for help. Of course, I listen to everyone, but I back myself for the decisions I am making. Because you need to know what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. I am enjoying myself so far,” said Axar Patel, who has captained DC to wins in the first five matches out of six in the IPL 2025 season.
In their next match, DC are slated to take on Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday, April 19, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
