Axar Patel named Delhi Capitals captain after BCCI bans Rishabh Pant for IPL 2024 match against RCB

Axar Patel will step up to lead the Deli Capitals in place of regular captain Rishabh Pant in their crucial IPL 2024 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. Pant will miss the match against RCB after being suspended by BCCI for his third over-rate offence of the season. Pant, DC's captain, was also fined ₹30 lakh and a one-match suspension for maintaining a slow over-rate against the Rajasthan Royals.

DC appealed against the match referee's ruling. The matter was then referred to the BCCI Ombudsman, who said the match referee's decision was final.

Confirming Axar Patel's elevation as captain for the RCB match, DC head coach Ricky Ponting said the all-rounder is an experienced international cricketer who understands the game very well.

"He (Axar) has been Vice-Captain at this franchise for the last couple of seasons. A very experienced IPL player, an experienced international player, a sensible guy, understands the game really well. He's excited about it. We started talking about it a couple of days ago when there was a possibility that Rishabh might be banned," Ponting said in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

"He's got his head around it. We've done our bowlers' meetings today. He'll catch up with all the guys tonight, go through all the plans and make sure that he's ready to lead the team well tomorrow," he added.

‘Every match is tough in IPL’: Ponting on DC vs RCB

Delhi Capitals are placed fifth in the points table with 12 points in 12 matches, while the hosts are on a four-match winning streak. When asked if Sunday's game will be a tough or equal fight, the DC head coach said, "They're all tough games in the IPL. If you wind the clock back two weeks, RCB weren't playing anywhere near their best. And, now, they probably played as well as anybody in the tournament."

He further added, "I'll put a case forward as well to say that what we've done as a team in the last seven games has been as impressive as anyone in the tournament. We've won five of our last seven, and we've made some huge scores along the way. There are no excuses from us tomorrow, regardless of Pant not being in the lineup. If we turn up and play our best game, then I know that the Delhi Capitals will be very hard to beat tomorrow."

While touching upon the team combination in Pant's absence, Ponting also gave an update on David Warner's fitness. He said, "David Warner missed the last game, he got that nasty knock on his hand about a month ago now and hasn't played a game since. He trained really strongly yesterday, he'll be out hitting balls in the middle now, so he'll be doing some more batting today. Hopefully, he's available for selection for tomorrow."