Delhi Capitals Captaincy: Akshar Patel and KL Rahul are the contenders for the captaincy of Delhi Capitals, in which Akshar has the upper hand. Rahul's wife is pregnant, due to which he may miss some matches.
New Delhi: All-rounder Akshar Patel and senior wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul are the two contenders for the captaincy of Delhi Capitals in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, in which the Gujarat player has a slight upper hand.
It is believed that after waiting for the Champions Trophy to end, the franchise officials will announce the name of their new captain in the next few days. Delhi Capitals will hold a short training cum practice camp in Delhi before moving to Visakhapatnam for their first two matches.
Axar, Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, South Africa's Tristan Stubbs, Australian players Jake Fraser McGurk and Mitchell Starc will assemble in Visakhapatnam on March 17 and 18. Rahul may not play in one or two matches as his wife Athiya Shetty is pregnant and it will depend on the likely date of birth of their first child.
Axar, 31, in his seventh season with the Capitals, looks a more likely candidate to lead the team than Rahul, who will be joining the Delhi team for the first time.
Axar has played 150 IPL games and has scored 1653 runs at a strike rate of around 131 and taken 123 wickets at an economy rate of 7.28. However, Rahul has been the IPL captain for the last few years and has led Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in the past.
The Lucknow team reached the play-offs twice during his tenure, although he was injured for most of these seasons. Rahul, who will turn 33 on April 18, has scored 4683 runs at a strike-rate of over 134 and has scored four centuries in 132 matches.
