The Delhi Capitals (DC) have been knocked out of the playoff race in the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. With five wins and eight losses in 13 matches, DC currently occupies the ninth position in the IPL 2023 points table, accumulating 10 points. It is worth mentioning that David Warner, the Australian batsman, took on the role of captain for the ongoing season after regular skipper Rishabh Pant was ruled out due to injury. Given the unexpected turn of events for the Delhi Capitals (DC), there is a sentiment among fans and analysts that Axar Patel could have been a suitable choice for captaincy midway through the season.
However, Patel himself stated that he would have declined the captaincy role if offered by the management during the tournament. It is worth noting that Patel has been in outstanding form for DC this year. He currently holds the position of their second-highest run-scorer, accumulating 268 runs in 14 matches, and is also their second-highest wicket-taker with 12 dismissals in nine matches this season.
Axar Patel on DC’s captaincy
“Mai chaalu series mey kisi ko kuch nahi bolta (I don’t say much during the mid-season). Agar mere pass captaincy aati bhi toh mai leta nahi (even if they had given me the captaincy, I would not have accepted it.),” Patel said.
According to the 29-year-old, in a season plagued by poor performance, such decisions only exacerbate the situation. He emphasized the importance of supporting teammates and the captain, expressing that changing the captaincy midway through the season sends a negative message.
“When your team is going through such a bad season, these kinds of things make it worse. You need to back your players, your captain and if you will change captaincy in middle of the season it doesn’t send a good message,” he added.
Axar Patel further remarked that assuming the captaincy would not have made any significant difference as the team’s failure was a collective effort. He emphasized that the captain should not be held solely responsible. Patel also clarified that he was never approached to take on the captaincy role, as he had no intention of disrupting the atmosphere in the dressing room.
“Mere captaincy lene se sab kuch change nahi ho jata. Aisa nahi tha ki ek banda kharab kar raha tha. Usme captain kya kar sakta hai (Things could have remained the same even if I was the captain. We failed collectively as a team, and you can’t blame the captain). I never had a chat about captaincy, but if I became a captain, then I would not take responsibility in the middle of a season. I don’t want to ruin the atmosphere of the dressing room,” Patel further added.
