Delhi Capitals (DC) had a forgettable outing in a couple of seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as they failed to make it into the playoffs on these occasions. In 2022, DC gave a tough fight but lost their last league match of the season to Mumbai Indians and missed a chance to get into the knockout stage. On the other hand, they had a disappointing performance in IPL 2024, where they finished in the sixth position at the points table with just seven wins from 14 matches. Though, the team moved up from ninth spot in IPL 2023.
It was apparent that Indian star batter and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant would return as a captain for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 following the recovery from a major car accident. He made a comeback after 14 months to play a professional match and joined the team from the training sessions. Pant’s individual tally of score reached 446 runs in 13 fixtures, but the win percentage was limited to around 50%. In the 13th IPL 2024 match for DC, Axar Patel did captaincy instead of Rishabh Pant, who was not in the playing XI for only this match.
Axar scored 57 runs off 39 balls but could not grab a wicket, resulting in DC losing the match. As Delhi Capitals did not qualify for playoffs again, finalising Axar Patel seemed a better choice considering his stellar performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Earlier, the DC campaign was interested in KL Rahul, but he has cleared the air that he wishes to play as a player in IPL 2025. Axar Patel also has match-winning numbers, scoring consistent half-centuries in IPL and International set-ups, and he even got promoted to bat at the number 5 position, just above KL Rahul. Axar has a long-standing connection with DC, staying with the campaign since 2019, and now he is a suitable pick to handle captaincy.
DC Captains throughout the years
Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, and Shreyas Iyer were recent skippers of DC. Rishabh Pant is released by the franchise ahead of IPL 2025. Also, Shreyas Iyer was released by the franchise ahead of IPL 2022. He led DC to their first-ever IPL final in 2020, where they lost to Mumbai Indians. Let’s have a look at DC captains throughout the years.
| Player | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | NR | W/L | %W | %L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V Sehwag | 2008-2012 | 52 | 28 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.16 | 53.84 | 46.15 |
| G Gambhir | 2009-2018 | 25 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.92 | 48.00 | 52.00 |
| KD Karthik | 2010-2014 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.50 | 33.33 | 66.66 |
| JR Hopes | 2011-2011 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 66.66 |
| DPMD Jayawardene | 2012-2013 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.54 | 33.33 | 61.11 |
| LRPL Taylor | 2012-2012 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50.00 |
| DA Warner | 2013-2023 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.45 | 31.25 | 68.75 |
| KP Pietersen | 2014-2014 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.10 | 9.09 | 90.90 |
| JP Duminy | 2015-2016 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.66 | 37.50 | 56.25 |
| Z Khan | 2016-2017 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.76 | 43.47 | 56.52 |
| KK Nair | 2017-2017 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 | 66.66 | 33.33 |
| SS Iyer | 2018-2020 | 41 | 21 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.16 | 51.21 | 43.90 |
| RR Pant | 2021-2024 | 43 | 23 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.21 | 53.48 | 44.18 |
| AR Patel | 2024-2025 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 66.67 | 33.33 |
Delhi Capitals have changed many captains throughout the years in the IPL. Former Indian batter Virendra Sehwag was the captain of the franchise. After him, Gautam Gambhir took charge as the captain in 2009. Apart from them, Dinesh Karthik, Mahela Jayawardene, James Hopes, JP Duminy, Zaheer Khan, Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor, Karun Nair, and David Warner have also led DC on multiple occasions.
Axar Patel Captaincy Records
Axar Patel served as a substitute captain for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024, as Rishabh Pant had to face a penalty due to a slow over-rate. Although Axar has not been a skipper for a full season, his impeccable performance as an all-rounder convinces DC to give him the responsibility of captaincy. He has played one match as a skipper for DC, but the team could not clinch the victory. However, the team was in high spirits as Axar Patel had scored a quick half-century with 57 off 39 balls, including 3 maximums and 5 boundaries.
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | NR | W/L | %W | %L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 66.67 | 33.33 |
DC IPL 2025 Squad
Delhi Capitals have retained Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abhishek Porel. After the auction, star players KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc, Harry Brook, and Faf du Plessis will be joining the team as well. All in all, there are seven overseas players who will be an integral part of DC. The following list of players comprises the DC squad for IPL 2025.
| No. | Player | Type | Acquisition | Role | Auction Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Axar Patel | Indian | Retained | Bowler | INR 16.50 crore |
| 2 | Kuldeep Yadav | Indian | Retained | Bowler | INR 13.25 crore |
| 3 | Tristan Stubbs (South Africa) | Overseas | Retained | Batter | INR 10 crore |
| 4 | Abishek Porel | Indian | Retained | Batter/Wicketkeeper | INR 4 crore |
| 5 | Mitchell Starc (Australia) | Overseas | Auction | Bowler | INR 11.75 crore |
| 6 | KL Rahul | Indian | Auction | Batter/Wicketkeeper | INR 14 crore |
| 7 | Jake Fraser-Mcgurk (Australia) | Overseas | RTM | Batter | INR 9 crore |
| 8 | T Natarajan | Indian | Auction | Bowler | INR 10.75 crore |
| 9 | Karun Nair | Indian | Auction | Batter | INR 50 lakh |
| 10 | Sameer Rizvi | Indian | Auction | All-rounder | INR 95 lakh |
| 11 | Ashutosh Sharma | Indian | Auction | All-rounder | INR 3.80 crore |
| 12 | Mohit Sharma | Indian | Auction | Bowler | INR 2.20 crore |
| 13 | Faf du Plessis (South Africa) | Overseas | Auction | Batter | INR 2 crore |
| 14 | Mukesh Kumar | Indian | RTM | Bowler | INR 8 crore |
| 15 | Darshan Nalkande | Indian | Auction | All-rounder | INR 30 lakh |
| 16 | Vipraj Nigam | Indian | Auction | All-rounder | INR 50 lakh |
| 17 | Dushmantha Chameera (Sri Lanka) | Overseas | Auction | Bowler | INR 75 lakh |
| 18 | Donovan Ferreira | Overseas | Auction | Batter | INR 75 lakh |
| 19 | Ajay Mandal | Indian | Auction | All-rounder | INR 30 lakh |
| 20 | Manvanth Kumar | Indian | Auction | All-rounder | INR 30 lakh |
| 21 | Madhav Tiwari | Indian | Auction | All-rounder | INR 40 lakh |
| 22 | Tripurana Vijay | Indian | Auction | All-rounder | INR 30 lakh |
DC IPL 2025 Support Staff
With the reshuffling of the Delhi Capitals, the team is poised to do well in IPL 2025. It turns out to be a strategic move in light of previous IPL seasons for DC. Meanwhile, this development has followed more tactical decisions by introducing key personalisties as part of the support staff. Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen, who captained DC in 2014, is appointed in the role of a mentor for the team. Also, former Indian medium fast bowler Munaf Patel will join DC as the bowling coach. Below, you can check the latest list of support staff going to be with the DC campaign ahead of IPL 2025 with the intent to prepare DC for its maiden IPL title.
| Support Staff | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Hemang Badani |
| Mentor | Kevin Pietersen |
| Director of Cricket | Venugopal Rao |
| Assistant Coach | Matthew Mott |
| Bowling Coach | Munaf Patel |
| Head of Scouting | Vijay Bharadwaj |
Axar Patel, as a left-arm spinner, comes with core skills and match-winning all-rounder performance. The squad containing him made it to the final of IPL 2020. The fans will expect them to lead DC to their first IPL title in 2025.
FAQs
Who is the captain of DC now?
The captain of the Delhi Capitals (DC) for IPL 2025 is Axar Patel.
In which year did Rishabh Pant become DC captain?
Rishabh Pant became the captain of the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2021. He was appointed after Shreyas Iyer.
Will KL Rahul play in IPL 2025?
Yes, KL Rahul will play in IPL 2025. He has been bought by Delhi Capitals (DC) at a whopping INR 14 Crore for the upcoming IPL season.
