Delhi Capitals have been phenomenal in the ongoing season, winning five out of six matches in IPL 2025. The Axar Patel-led side won four matches on the trot before losing one to Mumbai Indians, but staged a sensational comeback in the game against Delhi Capitals on April 16. After the game, captain Axar opened up on the captaincy philosophy, stating that he doesn’t follow any template and prefers to back himself in tough situations.
Axar reminded that he has captaincy experience and added that he notices the form of the players and keeps track of how their day has been before taking a certain call. In modern day, when successful captains such as Rohit Sharma, Pat Cummins or previously Eoin Morgan were heavily dependent on data, Axar mentioned that he focuses more on understanding the situation.
“I was captaining for state cricket, I know what to do and what not to do. And when you get a chance to run the team as you want and play the way you want to play then why not. I am doing what I think is right and not following a template. I am backing myself. I am not captaining for the first time. There is planning, which is for my awareness that what's going on, how the other team is playing. Obviously, sometimes it works,” said Axar.
“But as a captain, I see who is in form, how their day is going, what they can do and what they can't. I choose according to the situation. I am not completely data driven," he added.
Notably, Axar had a dreadful season with the ball, but against Delhi in the previous game, the allrounder picked up his first wicket of the season. He revealed that a finger injury restricted him from bowling at his speed but noted that things are getting better.