Axar Patel is reportedly set to be stripped of his captaincy role at Delhi Capitals after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League 2026. The spin all-rounder has faced criticism over his poor decision-making and leadership skills throughout the season, resulting in DC's inevitable elimination from the playoff race.

With just five wins in 12 matches, Delhi are placed seventh in the points table and are unlikely to make the top four for the fifth consecutive season. Notably, Delhi have won just one of their six matches at home, Arun Jaitley Stadium. They were bowled out on 75 total against RCB and failed to defend 264 against PBKS, both at home.

Axar Patel, along with head coach Hemang Badani, has also failed to find Delhi's best eleven with constant changes to their team. KL Rahul has seen several changes to his opening partners, and it's worse in the middle order. The same goes for the bowlers, who were tipped as one of the best attacks earlier this season.

Despite winning their last game against PBKS in Dharamsala, in which Axar Patel scored 56 runs, the recent PTI report suggests that Delhi Capitals are looking to move on from their captain and entire coaching staff post IPL 2026.

"With Axar completely failing to prove his leadership worth and mostly being dependent on Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao for decision-making, it will be a miracle if he retains captaincy next year," an IPL source quoted by PTI. "The entire coaching staff is also unlikely to be retained."

Axar Patel eyes strong finish to IPL 2026

Axar joined the Capitals before the IPL 2019 and was appointed captain in March 2025 after being retained for INR 16.50 crore. However, despite his impressive performances with the ball in T20Is, he has clearly failed to perform under captaincy pressure in IPL, taking just 5 wickets in 2025 and 11 wickets in 2026.

His numbers with the bat are in decline, with just 100 runs this season, out of which 56 came in the last game. His batting average of 12.50 and a strike rate of 112.35 are the lowest among IPL captains this season.

With two games to go in IPL 2026, Axar will look to pad up his numbers with both bat and ball, and push for big wins, in hoping to retain his captaincy role next season.

Also read: Today Cricket News