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Delhi Capitals broke the bank for the Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, acquiring his services for a whopping Rs 14 crore, as they witnessed Pant walk away to LSG for a record-breaking Rs 27 lakh.
Axar Patel and KL Rahul will be expected to lead DC together in 2025, says Jindal (AFP)
With the exit of Rishabh Pant from the Delhi Capitals, and with the inclusion of KL Rahul, questions arose about who would lead the new-look Delhi Capitals.
Well, DC co-owner Parth Jindal cleared the air, stating that both new signee KL Rahul and past vice-captain Axar Patel shall both collaborate to lead the revamped Delhi side together.
Delhi Capitals broke the bank for the Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, acquiring his services for a whopping Rs 14 crore, as they witnessed Pant walk away to LSG for a record-breaking Rs 27 lakh.
After the end of Day 1 of the IPL 2025 Auction, Jindal stated that both Axar and Rahul will be expected to lead all the junior players together and share the responsibility of captaincy as a pair.
“We were looking for stability in the top order, someone with experience who can build the innings. And, I think KL Rahul, given his record in the IPL, he’s someone who’s consistently given more than 400 runs every season. I think with the Kotla wicket, it is going to suit his game. We’re very excited to have him,” Jindal stated.
“We have a very young batting lineup. Both KL and Axar are going to lead them and are going to guide them. KL’s batting and experience will be a vital cog in the wheel,” exclaimed Jindal.
An overhaul in every sense of the word has transpired in the Delhi Capitals camps, who have had their eyes out for talents across the board.
DC decided to retain Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and the uncapped Indian batter Abhishek Porel and entered the IPL mega auction with a purse of Rs 73 crore having already spent Rs 47 crore in retaining four players.
The Delhi franchie went on to sign 9 players on Day 1 of the auction, acquiring the likes of superstars such as Mitchell Starc and Harry Brook, whilst also utilising their Right-To-Match (RTM) card to reacquire Jake Fraser-McGurk for Rs 9 crore.
DC rounded off their squad by acquiring more star power in the form of Faf du Plessis and some bowling depth with pacer Mukesh Kumar to flesh out their final squad.
