IPL 2025: Aakash Chopra names potential captains for Delhi Capitals
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has named three possible candidates for the captaincy of Delhi Capitals (DC) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The players shortlisted include India's Axar Patel and KL Rahul, and South Africa's Faf du Plessis. The speculation comes after DC retained Patel for a whopping ₹16.50 crore ahead of the mega auction, and picked Rahul (₹14 crore) and Du Plessis (₹2 crore) at last year's mega-auction in Jeddah. Here's more.
Patel's prowess
Chopra highlights Axar Patel's leadership credentials
Chopra emphasized on Patel's leadership abilities in a video on his YouTube channel. He said, "I feel Delhi have three options. They have Axar Patel and KL Rahul, and they have Faf du Plessis as well." He went on and added, "Bapu's stature is growing. He has been outstanding of late. He is the Indian T20I team's vice-captain," he said In IPL 2024, Patel took 11 wickets at an economy of 7.65 in 14 innings for DC.
Rahul's record
KL Rahul's captaincy experience makes him a strong contender
Chopra also emphasized KL Rahul's leadership experience as a major plus in his favor for the DC captaincy. "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.
Du Plessis's potential
Faf du Plessis: An unconventional choice for DC's captaincy
Chopra called Faf du Plessis an unconventional choice for DC's captaincy. He said, "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." Nevertheless, Chopra thinks Patel is most likely to captain the Delhi-based franchise in IPL 2025. Du Plessis had led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for three IPL seasons before Rajat Patidar replaced him as their skipper for IPL 2025.