Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma have been key members for DC | PC- AFP
Delhi Capitals (DC) were among the first teams to kick off the IPL Trade season, with a Rishabh Pant-Kuldeep Yadav exchange with Lucknow Super Giants. They also traded T Natarajan to acquire Zeeshan Ansari from Sunrisers Hyderabad.
As the Capitals leave no stone unturned to build a solid IPL 2027 squad, there have been speculations about ending ties with captain Axar Patel and Ashutosh Sharma.
Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma not to be traded by DC
Reportedly, the DC have virtually ended the IPL trade window for themselves, with the official deadline still a week away from this point: November 17, to be precise.
According to a report by Sports Tak journalist Rahul Rawat, Delhi are not looking to trade either Axar Patel or Ashutosh Sharma, two key members of the DC lineup over the last two seasons. T Natarajan's trade to SRH was allegedly the last for the season for the Capitals.
Prior reports stated that DC are seeking to trade Axar to Chennai Super Kings, while there were speculations that Ashutosh is being considered to acquire Prasidh Krishna from Gujarat Titans. However, the latest report has put an end to the speculation.
Notably, DC co-owner Parth Jindal also hinted that Axar Patel is not being traded anywhere by reposting one of his old posts on X.
Uncertainty over Axar Patel's DC captaincy future
Ahead of IPL 2027, Delhi have made massive changes to their backroom staff, bringing in Sourav Ganguly as head coach. Yuvraj Singh, Chaminda Vaas and Amit Mishra are also included to assist the former Director of Cricket.
According to Sports Tak’s renowned journalist, a decision on captaincy at the Capitals has yet to be taken. This means it remains unclear whether Axar Patel will continue as skipper.
Under Axar, DC have played two IPL seasons, being appointed captain ahead of IPL 2025. In those two seasons, they finished in the middle of the points table, despite starting on a bang-bang both times.
With Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul already in their squad, Delhi have other bankable options for captaincy as well.
