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Will KL Rahul Be Available For Delhi Capitals' IPL 2025 Opener? Axar Patel Unsure
Follow UsAxar Patel revealed that KL Rahul might not be available for DC’s opener because of ‘personal reasons’
With just 24 hours to go for Delhi Capitals’ first clash against Lucknow Super Giants, the franchise’s skipper, Axar Patel, is still unsure about star player KL Rahul’s participation. There were widespread speculations that Rahul might not be part of DC’s playing XI for the first few games for ‘personal reasons’.
Axar has now responded, stating that the franchise is not yet sure of Rahul’s availability but confirmed that Rahul has joined the camp.
"Obviously, he [KL Rahul] joined the team. We don't know yet [if he'll play]. Right now, we don't know if he is available or not,” Axar said in the pre-match press conference.
The all-rounder has now taken over the reins from Rishabh Pant, and will now be the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future. In his first pre-match press conference as a captain, Axar opined that cricket has changed a lot.
"Nowadays, cricket has changed a lot," Axar said.
"Mostly IPL is more about batsman's game, fours and sixes. So, we have to evolve as a team. At the end of the day, I don't want to complicate things. As captain I told the group that cricket is a game, keep it simple. A good yorker is a good yorker ball and if your execution is good, then you will be fine. So I am not telling them too much that you should go for this and that. I am just asking them to keep it simple, that's my strategy throughout the tournament.”
DC, just like Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, haven’t yet won an IPL title. However, Axar is very ‘confident’ about this DC team, stating that it is an honour to lead the franchise.
Not just that, the left-arm spinner is also looking forward to working with the likes of Rahul and Faf du Plessis, who are amongst the leadership group of the franchise.
"I am very confident about the Delhi Capitals team. I am playing since 2019 for Delhi Capitals and I have grown as a cricketer in this franchise. It's an honour for me to lead this franchisee and there are many leaders in our team. So from them I get that experience and they are there for me. Faf is there, KL is there and many experienced players are there. So we have a good balanced team. And we will change the results this time."
