Delhi Capitals’ captaincy dilemma for IPL 2025: Aakash Chopra weighs in

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has identified three potential candidates for the Delhi Capitals' (DC) captaincy ahead of the IPL 2025 season. According to Chopra, Axar Patel and KL Rahul are the prime Indian contenders, while South African veteran Faf du Plessis emerges as an overseas option.

Delhi Capitals retained Axar Patel for ₹16.50 crore before the mega auction, signaling their faith in his leadership abilities. They later acquired KL Rahul for ₹14 crore and Faf du Plessis for ₹2 crore at the auction held in Jeddah last year.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra analyzed the possible captaincy choices and emphasized Axar Patel’s growing stature in Indian cricket.

"I feel Delhi have three options. They have Axar Patel and KL Rahul, and they have Faf du Plessis as well. They retained Axar Patel. Bapu's stature is growing. He has been outstanding of late. He is the Indian T20I team's vice-captain," said Chopra. "He will play the Champions Trophy as well and has been given a very important role in the Indian ODI team. He is mature. He is brilliant. He understands the pulse of the game. He puts the team ahead of himself. So he could be a great choice."

Axar Patel had a strong outing in IPL 2024, taking 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.65 across 14 matches. Additionally, he contributed 235 runs at a strike rate of 131.28 in 12 innings.

KL Rahul as an alternative captaincy choice

Chopra also highlighted KL Rahul as a strong alternative, citing his leadership experience with various IPL franchises and the Indian national team.

"The second is KL Rahul. I feel they got him cheap. It was a steal. He has got some captaincy credentials. He has captained India, the Punjab Kings, and the Lucknow Super Giants for three years, and they qualified two years as well. So he could be the captain," Chopra added.

The former cricketer-turned-commentator also noted that Faf du Plessis could be an unconventional captaincy option. However, he believes that Axar Patel is likely to lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025.

"I think it's going to be a close race. One has been retained and the other has been bought. So one between the two, or else if they want to think absolutely left-field, then Faf du Plessis, who is not getting old at all. However, I have a feeling that it could be Axar," he opined.

Faf du Plessis captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the last three IPL seasons. However, with RCB appointing Rajat Patidar as their captain for IPL 2025, Du Plessis might be available as a captaincy option for DC.

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