This season, Delhi Capitals (DC) will be led by a new skipper, Axar Patel, who already has the support of many teammates. Ahead of the mega auction, DC retained Axar, while Rishabh Pant, who went back into the auction.

"I think just having him in the team is a huge bonus. He's one of the best players around at the moment," Tristan Stubbs, who was also retained by DC, said. "He captained the game last year [against RCB when Pant was suspended for a slow over rate], and he was really calm out in the middle, made the bowlers feel really calm. So hopefully he can do that this year, and we can feed off his energy."

Abishek Porel, one of the four players retained by DC (with Kuldeep Yadav being the other), believes that Axar’s extensive experience with the team will help him quickly adapt to his new role. Since joining DC in 2019, Axar has already featured in 82 matches, which speaks to his deep familiarity with the franchise.

"It's great that Axar bhai will be leading the side. He has been playing for DC for three or four years [six years] now, so he understands the environment," Porel said. "It'll be good for us too that he'll be there as a big brother. He's quite funny off the field, but at the same time, just as focused on it. So I'm really excited to play under his captaincy, and hopefully, we'll win the trophy."

Axar's appointment as DC captain comes just months after he was named India's vice-captain in T20Is for the upcoming five-match series against England at home in January. Additionally, he has led his domestic side, Gujarat, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy during the 2024-25 season.

"Axar has been around for a long time now, and he is going to be a great captain," Karun Nair, one of Axar's new team-mates at DC, said. "He is someone who knows all the facets of the game, and understands everyone's situation and roles. He will be versatile like he is always. [I'm] looking forward to meet him, and know a lot of things."

DC, who are yet to win the IPL, had finished sixth last season with seven wins and seven losses. This year, they start their campaign by hosting Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam on March 24. The question remains, will Delhi Capitals finally be able to break their trophy drought?