Axar Patel: Biography, Stats, Wife and Captaincy

Akshar from Nadiad

Axar Patel was born Akshar Rajeshbhai Patel on 20 Jan 1994 and grew up in Nadiad, a town in Gujarat's Kheda district between Anand and Ahmedabad. The Indian Express, which reported from Nadiad in 2025, says the spelling "Axar" came from an administrative error at school. Friends and family still call him Akshar.

Engineering, not cricket, was the expected path. His father, Rajeshbhai, sent him to the town's only cricket ground, the Kheda District Cricket Association ground inside his college campus, to build strength rather than to make him a cricketer. His childhood coach, Amrish Patel, told the paper that Axar bowled pace in school matches and switched to left-arm spin when he got tired. That was when he took wickets, and the coaches turned him into a spin-bowling all-rounder.

Nadiad is also the birthplace of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and until Axar it had never produced an international cricketer. The Kheda association's president says the ground now has 250 to 300 young players a day, against 70 or 80 a decade ago, and many more girls than before.

Gujarat and the first IPL contract

He made his first-class and List A debuts for Gujarat in the 2012–13 season. In only his second first-class match, against Delhi in November 2013, he took 6 for 55. In the 2013–14 Ranji Trophy he scored 369 runs at 46.12 and took 29 wickets at 23.58, and the BCCI named him its Under-19 cricketer of the year for 2012–13.

Mumbai Indians signed him for IPL 2013 but never picked him; the team won the title that year without him. Kings XI Punjab took him in 2014, when he took 17 wickets and was named the season's emerging player. On 1 May 2016, against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot, he took four wickets in five balls, including the only hat-trick of that IPL season.

India debut and the long wait

That 2014 IPL season earned him an India call-up. He made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in Mirpur on 15 Jun 2014 and was in India's squad for the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. His T20I debut followed against Zimbabwe in Harare on 17 Jul 2015.

For the next few years he was a back-up. He was a stand-by player for the 2019 World Cup, and India often preferred Ravindra Jadeja, another left-arm spinner who bats left-handed. Around 2021, during the phase when he wasn't getting regular games, he went back to the Nadiad ground and spent three to four hours each afternoon working on his batting, according to Gujarat team-mates.

A record Test debut series

His Test chance finally came against England in February 2021. On debut at Chennai on 13 February his first Test wicket was Joe Root's, and he took a five-wicket haul in England's second innings, the ninth Indian to do so on Test debut. He finished the three-Test series with 27 wickets at 10.59, second only to R. Ashwin. The BCCI's profile lists 57 wickets at 19.67 from 15 Tests, with a best match return of 11 for 70.

Delhi Capitals and the captaincy

Delhi Capitals signed him at the auction for IPL 2019, and he has played for them ever since. Before the 2025 mega auction they made him their top retention, at ₹16.50 crore. On 14 Mar 2025 they named him captain, replacing Rishabh Pant, who had left for Lucknow Super Giants. He had led Gujarat in 23 matches and had stood in as Delhi captain once in 2024, when Pant was banned for a slow over-rate.

The results weren't good enough. Delhi started 2025 strongly but finished fifth, and in 2026 they came sixth. Axar's own season dipped to 173 runs and 11 wickets in 14 matches, according to The Times of India.

The 2027 captaincy question

On 12 Nov 2026 The Times of India reported that Axar is "very reluctant" to carry on as captain for IPL 2027 after two seasons without a playoff place. A franchise source told the paper that the management is trying to convince him, has turned down "multiple lucrative trade offers" for him, and will not finalise the captain until after the December mini auction. Delhi have since brought back Sourav Ganguly as head coach, with Yuvraj Singh as assistant coach, after parting with Hemang Badani and director of cricket Venugopal Rao.

News18 reported that Rishabh Pant, traded back from Lucknow, and KL Rahul are the alternatives. Commentator Aakash Chopra said on JioStar's Game Plan that it "could well be KL Rahul at this stage". None of this has been confirmed by Delhi Capitals.

World Cups: 2024, 2025 and 2026

Axar has won three ICC titles with India in three years:

1. T20 World Cup 2024: he was player of the match in the semi-final against England, with three wickets, and in the final against South Africa he scored 47 off 31 balls, with four sixes, after India lost three early wickets, including captain Rohit Sharma. He added 72 with Virat Kohli, who was named player of the match.
2. Champions Trophy 2025: Gautam Gambhir moved him up to No. 5 to give the batting a left-right mix. His counter-attack against New Zealand, built on the slog sweep, helped set up a winning total in India's unbeaten run to the title.
3. T20 World Cup 2026: as vice-captain, he took 3 for 27 in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on 8 Mar 2026, dismissing Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell. India won by 96 runs and became the first team to win the T20 World Cup at home and the first to defend the title.

He'd been named India's T20I vice-captain in January 2025.

These figures are as listed on the BCCI's player profile in November 2026 and change with every match.

How he plays

He bowls quicker and flatter than most finger spinners, relying on the arm ball and changes of pace rather than big turn. That's why he's effective in T20 cricket and on Indian Test pitches, where the ball skids on. With the bat he's a left-handed hitter whose favourite shot is the slog sweep. His Nadiad coaches say batting was always the part of his game he enjoyed most.

Central contract

In the BCCI's 2025–26 central contracts, announced on 9 Feb 2026, Axar was moved down from Grade B to Grade C.

Wife Meha Patel and son Haksh

Axar married Meha Patel, whom he had known since his Nadiad days, on 26 Jan 2023 in Vadodara. Ishant Sharma and Jaydev Unadkat were among the cricketers who attended. Their son, Haksh, was born on 19 Dec 2024; Axar announced the birth on 24 December with the caption "India's smallest, yet biggest fan". The Indian Express reports that he has built a new home in Nadiad, a short walk from the canal where he grew up.

Net worth

There is no verified figure for Axar Patel's net worth. The public numbers are his IPL pay of ₹16.50 crore a season from Delhi Capitals since 2025 and a BCCI central contract. Totals quoted on celebrity-wealth websites are not sourced.

Why he matters

Axar has gone from Jadeja's understudy to a match-winner in three ICC finals. He took three wickets in the 2026 T20 World Cup final in front of a home crowd in Ahmedabad. His next decision, whether to keep leading Delhi Capitals, is the one IPL fans are now waiting on.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. The Times of India: Axar Patel reluctant to lead Delhi Capitals, 12 Nov 2026
2. News18: Axar Patel wants to quit as Delhi Capitals captain, 12 Nov 2026
3. Times Now: Aakash Chopra on the Delhi Capitals captaincy, 12 Nov 2026
4. ESPNcricinfo: Axar Patel to captain Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, 14 Mar 2025
5. The Indian Express: Axar Patel, the Nadiad boy now DC captain, 12 Mar 2025
6. ESPNcricinfo: T20 World Cup 2026 final scorecard, India v New Zealand, 8 Mar 2026
7. Al Jazeera: India beat New Zealand by 96 runs for third T20 title, 8 Mar 2026
8. Cricbuzz: BCCI central contracts 2025-26, 9 Feb 2026
9. The Indian Express: Axar Patel marries Meha Patel in Vadodara, 26 Jan 2023
10. India Today: Axar and Meha Patel welcome son Haksh, 24 Dec 2024
11. BCCI: Axar Patel player profile and career statistics
12. Wikipedia: Axar Patel (cross-checked domestic and IPL record)

Facts checked against the sources above by Tulasiram Pemmadi on 13 Nov 2026 (IST). Where reliable sources disagree, the article says so. Spotted an error? See our corrections page or email contact@nextplayintel.com.

Related biographies

MS DhoniSport

b. 1981

Rohit SharmaSport

b. 1987

Virat KohliSport

b. 1988