New Delhi: In short-term flare-ups Cricket, Akshar Patel is an outlier. The all-rounder was instrumental in helping India win three ICC titles — two T20 World Cups and a Champions Trophy — in a span of 21 months. He has won games with both bat and ball, and his fielding has been equally memorable.Who can forget his leaping catch to dismiss Mitchell Marsh at deep square leg at Gros Islet in 2024, or the effort in a packed Wankhede where he ran behind point to catch a skier from England captain Harry Brooke during a thrilling T20 World Cup semi-final.
Then Will Jacks caught in the same match. While the scorecard will credit Shivam Dubey, it was Axar’s brilliant effort that made all the difference. He pulled the ball on the run, lost his balance without losing awareness of the boundary cushion, and flicked it towards the converging sinker to complete the out.The 32-year-old has always been admired as a team man to the end. Over the years, he has been tagged as India’s “Crisis Man”, “Underrated One”, Ravindra Jadeja’s “Under Study”, and even “Forever Bride”.The 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League gives him a chance to shed those tags. Leading the Delhi Capitals for the second season in a row, Axar has a chance to claim a major moment in his career.On Monday, at the Delhi Capitals pre-season press conference, Axar received all the praise, but he looked like a man on a mission. IPL 2026 could also mark a definitive chapter for a player who, entering his eighth consecutive season with the team, has given his sweat, tears and blood to a franchise often seen as the perennial underachiever of the IPL.
Delhi Capitals captain Akshar Patel, right, and director of cricket Venugopal Rao during a press conference ahead of the IPL 2026 season. (PTI photo)
“In the first year as a captain, you are learning a lot, whether it is about your players, about the situation and about you as a leader. Now I feel more stable. I understand the players better, I understand what works for this team and what kind of atmosphere we want to create”.“The focus is on being positive, aggressive and most importantly, building confidence. When players feel that support and confidence, they automatically take responsibility and perform better. That is something I am very clear about as captain.”Delhi Capitals will begin their campaign on April 1 against Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) at the Bharat Ratnashree Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekna Cricket Stadium. The first task for Axar is to start the campaign with a win. The Delhi franchise, in the past, has often come close but not finished the job. Axar knows this well, having played 84 games in Delhi colours.Must read Considered, inevitable: Why Akshar Patel remains India’s undisputed MVP.“We don’t sit and talk about the past. Everyone knows we’ve come close at times, and as a player you know that anyway. The conversation is always about what we can do better going forward. Maybe one or two matches can change things, but that’s how the game goes. We focus on staying positive and improving as a unit instead of taking those thoughts into the new season,” he said.
Everyone knows we’re close at times, and as a player you’re aware of it anyway. The conversation is always about what we can do better going forward.
Delhi Capitals captain Akshar Patel
If Delhi Capitals are to end the drought, Aksar will have to step up with bat, ball and captain. Interestingly, Axar never crossed the 300-run mark in the IPL in 162 games played over twelve years. The all-rounder is yet to improve on his debut season with the ball, where he took 17 wickets for Kings XI Punjab, now Punjab Kings. But as Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket K Venugopal Rao said, the management is confident that Axar will lead the franchise to this prestigious trophy.“Franchise cricket and the Indian team are completely different. Different cultures. At the franchise level, there are players from different countries who come together and play. In the Indian team, everyone knows how to play. The winning mentality of the Indian team is that everyone is flexible enough and adapts to any role and situation. At the franchise level, as captain, I would like to bring that. You can’t just play one-sided,” he said.“There are defined roles in the Indian team. At the franchise level, sometimes one has to play an opener in the middle order.“I am very excited about the new season. Whatever mistakes we made last season, we got the starting slot in the auction and a good backup in the pace department. We have a full squad, and we are excited to fight for the title,” added Axar.
Delhi Capitals coach Hemang Badani (R) and captain Akshar Patel during a press conference ahead of the IPL 2026 season. (PTI)
Axar also made it very clear that as an all-rounder He is not a big fan of the impact player rule.. “As an all-rounder, I am personally not a fan of the impact player rule. Before that you have to pick all-rounders. Due to this, the team management can select a particular batsman or bowler. So, I’m not a fan of it,” he said.Axar Patel also shared what he learned from captaining Delhi last season. Not to forget, he is the vice-captain of India’s title-winning T20 World Cup team and was dropped in the Super Eight against South Africa due to match-ups.“I’m not saying I don’t look at the data or the matchups as a whole. It depends on the situation. I look at and evaluate all the factors. It’s not like I don’t look at matchups or data. I follow everything and then it depends. You have to know which weapon to use when. When you are on earth and make decisions, it is based on what you feel at that moment. Of course, you also go by instinct. It’s a mixture of things,” he said.For Axar Patel, IPL 2026 is not just another season, it is an opportunity to redefine his narrative. A player long admired for his selflessness now stands at the heart of Delhi Capitals’ ambitions. If he can combine his all-round consistency with decisive leadership, this could finally be the season where he steps up to be a reliable support act for the ultimate prize-winner.
