Axar Patel has been successful in leading his team by being a calm influence, but Cheteshwar Pujara thinks he needs to avoid being too casual while captaining for Delhi Capitals during IPL 2026.
Leading the Capitals, the left-arm all-rounder showed promise in his first season as captain. The side won their first 4 matches, showing strong control early in the tournament. However, a dip followed as they went on a 5-match losing streak, eventually finishing fifth and missing out on the playoffs.
“Axar Patel is quite calm, he does not take too much pressure. His personality is really good, especially for the IPL where there is a lot of pressure. He backs his players, but he should be careful of not being over-relaxed. He should not be extra casual, and let momentum slip and go away from you. DC had momentum last year, but they let go of that. He has to be careful of that this season,” Pujara said on Star Sports.
The senior Indian batsman emphasised that it is especially important to maintain a high level of intensity consistently throughout the tournament, especially when a cricket team is in a dominant position.
On the bowling side, Mohammad Kaif said he expects a better performance from the Delhi captain this season. The spin-bowling all-rounder had a tough IPL 2025, picking up just 5 wickets at an average of 57.60 and an economy rate of 8.47, his lowest wicket tally since 2018. “Axar Patel can bowl with the new ball in the powerplay, but last year the problem was that he got only a few wickets because he did not have runs to defend. He will bowl with the new ball this time as well, then there is Kuldeep and Vipraj Nigam as well, so I am not concerned about that. The last season was not that great, but he will make a strong comeback this year,” Kaif said.
Despite the dip in his own numbers, the Capitals’ spin department did decently well. Along with Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam, the unit picked up 31 wickets last season, with the wrist spinner leading the tally. Kuldeep, who joined the franchise for ₹2 crore in 2022, has been a consistent performer, taking 62 wickets in 4 seasons, including a 21-wicket season in his debut year with the team.
