KL Rahul Once Again Overlooked as Delhi Capitals Name Axar Patel's Deputy and Former RCB Player as Vice-Captain for IPL 2025

In a major announcement, Delhi Capitals have appointed Faf du Plessis, the esteemed former South Africa captain, as their vice-captain for the highly anticipated 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Du Plessis will now be supporting skipper Axar Patel in leading the team in IPL 2025. The talented right-handed batsman was acquired by Delhi Capitals in the recent mega auction, following his release from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

It was anticipated that India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, who led LSG in last year's edition of the IPL, would become the vice-captain. However, this is not the case, as the management has opted to go with Faf du Plessis.

The Delhi Capitals shared a video on social media announcing the vice-captain for the upcoming season. In the clip, Faf du Plessis can be seen taking a walk inside the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi and speaking to someone on the phone.

"Hello. I am good, man. How are you? I am at home. Where else will I be? Yes, that's true. I am vice-captain of DC, and I'm very excited. Delhi has been great, the boys have been fantastic. Definitely feel happy, and I feel ready," Faf du Plessis said.

"Pick up your phones; it’s your vice-captain calling," Delhi Capitals wrote in the caption.

In the mega auction in Saudi Arabia, Delhi Capitals picked up Faf du Plessis for INR 2 crore. Several fans believed that Faf du Plessis would not start in the franchise's playing XI. However, Harry Brook's withdrawal at the last minute might have led to a plan change. DC had spent INR 6.25 crore to acquire the England batter Brook earlier.

The franchise did not retain the former RCB captain despite his impressive performance during the three-year stint. In the 2024 season, Faf led RCB's comeback, scoring 438 runs. At one stage, RCB was reeling at the bottom of the table; however, the side strung together a series of wins to edge out Chennai Super Kings and make it to the playoffs.

In the 2023 season, Faf du Plessis scored 730 runs, while he managed 468 runs in the 2022 edition.

Axar Patel to lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025

Earlier, Delhi Capitals announced Axar Patel as their captain for the upcoming season of the cash-rich league. Axar Patel was a retained player alongside Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abhishek Porel.

Delhi Capitals spent INR 18 crore to retain Axar Patel. “It is my absolute honour to captain the Delhi Capitals, and I’m deeply grateful to our owners and support staff for placing their faith in me,” said Axar Patel on being appointed as the captain.

“I’ve grown as a cricketer and a human being during my time here at the Capitals, and I feel ready and confident to lead this side going forward. Our coaches and scouts have done a superb job at the mega auction by putting together a balanced and robust squad which has tremendous potential," he added.

The Delhi Capitals are yet to win an IPL title in 17 seasons and it needs to be seen whether the franchise can break the title jinx this season or not. Delhi Capitals will begin their season on Monday, March 24, against Lucknow Super Giants.

Delhi Capitals squad: Axar Patel (c), Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Mitchell Starc, KL Rahul, Jake Fraser-McGurk, T Natarajan, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Mukesh Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Dushmantha Chameera, Donovan Ferreira, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari.

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