As captain, Axar Patel said, “I am not following a template.”

Axar Patel is the best player in the IPL 2025 if a captain is only as good as his performance.

In his debut season as a team captain in the tournament, he has guided the Delhi Capitals (DC) to five victories in six games thus far. More importantly, he has identified the appropriate individuals to perform the correct tasks for him when the chips are down. For instance, Mitchell Starc on Wednesday night. And Axar Patel stated following the Super Over victory over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) that “trusting my instincts” was largely responsible for the outcome.

“When you know that you will enjoy the responsibility, you accept it. I knew what to do and what not to do because I was doing it for my state squad. So why not take advantage of the chance to lead a team the way you want to and play the game the way you want to?” At the press conference following the game, Axar made a number of wisecracks and laughed a lot.

Both on and off the pitch, I’m having a great time. What I believe to be correct is what I am doing. I’m not adhering to a template. I support myself. Although I don’t have a lot of experience as a captain, I’m not asking for assistance from others. I do, of course, listen to everyone, but I also support my own judgement. As a result, you must be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. So far, I’m having fun.”

While intuition and gut feelings are acceptable, T20 cricket has changed so much that what takes place in the meeting rooms—plans and data-driven tactics—often takes precedence over anything else.

“It’s not like I only go by my instincts,” Axar Patel replied. “A lot of preparation is going on behind the scenes. That is crucial to my consciousness and can be quite helpful at times. However, it’s not as if I have all the information at my fingertips and am following it exactly—pitching this batter against that batter, etc. That isn’t how it operates.

“Occasionally, someone is in form. As captain, I observe that and make decisions based on the circumstances of the game. Naturally, instincts do take over at times. However, depending on what I believe is best for the team, I will make a call. Considering what will work best, I select the choice. Am I risking anything? I base my decisions on what I believe to be 60-40 or 70-30 in favour of my team. To understand the opposition, the statistics is crucial.

And even though he hasn’t led teams before, Axar Patel is smart enough to know how to handle the mistakes he will inevitably make.

“I can’t speak for other captains, but the way I see it, if I have made a mistake, what’s the problem with owning up to it,” said the captain. “However, I won’t necessarily label it an error. You make a tactical choice depending on your resources if there are two left-handers out there and you need to clear an over. It works sometimes and doesn’t work other times. It’s not a mistake, in my opinion. That choice didn’t work out. You’re commended if it succeeds. You will receive criticism if it doesn’t. I simply follow my instincts.

“I do what I feel is right” is Axar Patel nearly incessant mantra. For example, ensuring that he is regarded as the ship’s captain while simultaneously fostering a positive environment for the players.

“I want to keep the team environment friendly and lively, but no one should take things for granted”

“I believe my face reflects it. He joked, “Is the captain angry right now, or is he a little serious…,” before going into further detail. “The line is narrow. I want to maintain a lively and welcoming team atmosphere, but nobody should take anything for granted. Nobody should believe that the captain is only enjoying himself. A queue is in place. Doing what is necessary to win the game must come first. Then we ought to enjoy ourselves. Right now, it’s functioning. I think you do better while you’re having fun.

“I couldn’t apply pressure to the injured finger.”

Axar Patel has only bowled 17 overs in his first six games, taking out Riyan Parag on Wednesday. He attributed this to a cut on his bowling hand’s index finger.

Axar Patel held out his finger and remarked, “I got a cut in this finger during the Champions Trophy.” “The skin hasn’t returned completely yet. Additionally, the skin kept peeling, which made bowling a little challenging. I was therefore exercising caution. I just bowled a single over or two when I felt the team required me to. When I bowled four overs against SRH [Sunrisers Hyderabad], the entire layer of skin came off. I couldn’t apply pressure to that finger.

“I thought I was bowling well, but this prevented me from making an effect. I don’t care if I don’t get any wickets if I’m bowling well. I question myself if I did a good job carrying out my strategy, and if I did, I’m pleased.”

He has batted at Nos. 4, 5, and 6 in various games, moving up and down the middle order. Tristan Stubbs left No. 5 ahead of him on Wednesday.

Axar Patel scored 34 runs off of 14 balls while batting at number six.

“As a batter, it’s about doing what the team needs you to do,” Axar Patel stated. “I share the captain’s viewpoint. Considering our available resources, I make a decision about where to bat. Promoting myself is alluring, but it’s a team effort. We had a right-left pair going on today, so I urged Stubbs to move ahead of me and held myself back.

“Over the past 1.5 years, I believe I have been batting well. However, I haven’t been able to use the bat to make a difference in this event. Sometimes I was too forceful, and other times I made gentle dismissals. I had a clean head today. I knew who I was going after. I went after the spinners, who had three overs remaining, rather than the faster bowlers who were bowling slower bouncers. I didn’t make any spectacular shots. It was successful.

Like the majority of his previous actions in the IPL 2025, DC appears to be the squad to beat right now.