Not Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul can be DC captain in IPL 2027: Who has best captaincy record

All-rounder Axar Patel is reportedly relucatant to return as Delhi Capitals captain for the upcoming IPL 2027 season.

Written by: Devadyuti Das

Published: November 12, 2026, 11:02 AM IST

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Axar Patel led Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026 season(Photo: IANS)

IPL 2027: Delhi Capitals are undergoing plenty of changes in the lead up to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 seasonWith Sourav Ganguly taking over as new head coach, he has brought in Yuvraj Singh as his assistant coach alongside Amit Mishra as spin bowling coach and Chaminda Vaas as pace bowling coachDC, who have never won the IPL title, are set to get a new captain in the IPL 2027 season as well.

According to a report in TOI newspaper, current DC skipper Axar Patel is reluctant to take over the mantle of captaincy for the IPL 2027 seasonUnder Axar’s captaincy, DC failed to reach the IPL 2026 playoffs earlier this year after finishing in 6th place on the Point Table with 14 points from 14 matches.

“Axar is very reluctant to continue as captainThe management is trying to convince himAxar is very important to the franchiseCapitals have turned down multiple lucrative trade offers this seasonThe management has held back finalising the captain till the auctions are done,” a DC source was quoted as saying by TOI newspaper.

Delhi Capitals is doing all this drama only to eventually make Rishabh Pant their captainThe moment he was traded, it was pretty much obvious how this was going to end.

What’s genuinely baffling is the sheer audacityHis captaincy at Delhi was nothing to write home about, his stint at LSG was equally disastrous, coupled with some absolutely horrendous batting performances.

Yet, apparently, none of that is enough to make him reconsider his obsession with captaincy.

At some point, you have to ask: is the hunger to lead a team greater than the willingness to actually perform for one? Because Pant seems far more desperate to wear the captain’s hat than to justify his place as a player.

— AkCricTalks (@AKCricTalks) November 12, 2026

Axar Patel has a modest captaincy record in the Indian Premier League with 44.44 per cent win percentageHe has won 12 matches and lost 13 in his 27 matches in charge of the franchise which is jointly owned by GMR Group and JSW Sports.

Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in race to become next DC captain

If Axar Patel refused to become DC captain in the IPL 2027, then DC management can offer the position to Rishabh Pant or KL RahulPant was recently traded from Lucknow Super Giants for a salary of Rs 15 crore while Rahul was retained for Rs 14 crore by DC ahead of IPL 2026 seaon.

Pant had led DC between IPL 2021 and 2024 before joining Lucknow Super Giants and leading them in IPL 2025 and 2026 seasons“Pant doesn’t want to think too much about captaincyEven Rahul hasn’t expressed any real interest yetBut the management will have to talk to them if Axar stays firm on his decision,” the DC source was quoted as saying by TOI newspaper.

The Delhi wicketkeeper has won 33 out of the 71 matches in charge at DC and LSG in the IPL and lost 36 of these matches with a 46.47 win percentageRahul, on the other hand, has been captain of Punjab Kings an LSG before joining DC in IPL 2025He has won 31 and lost 31 matches out of 64 matches in charge with a win percentage of 48.43.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes Rishabh Pant will be a better choice to lead DC if Axar Patel backs outSpeaking JioStar’s ‘Game Plan’, Aakash Chopra said, “There are multiple questions, actuallyIt’s an MCQ because who will be the captain? Rishabh Pant has been a captaincy candidate, KL Rahul is an option, and I’m hearing that Axar doesn’t want to be the captainSo, with everything going on, you don’t even know who will captain the sideIt could well be KL Rahul at this stageAnd Rishabh Pant, now that you have traded him, must bat in the top fourIf you are going to bat him lower than that, then you will not utilise him to his fullest potentialI felt that in that trade, LSG was better off because you couldn’t have asked for more than a bowler of Kuldeep’s (Yadav) calibre for that pitch.”

IPL Captaincy records of Axar Patel vs Rishabh Pant vs KL Rahul

The BCCI have decided that November 17 is the deadline for the 10 franchises to finalise their retentions ahead of December 16 IPL 2027 Player Auction in Goa.