File image of Axar Patel© BCCI
Delhi Capitals had a forgetful outing in IPL 2023, as they could register only five wins out of 14 matches. The fans had great expectations from the IPL 2020 finalists but they finished at the ninth spot on the points table. Despite having the likes of David Warner, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, DC miserably failed to leave a mark in the season. However, one player who definitely stood out from the other was all-rounder Axar Patel, as he remained consistent with both bat and ball. Though Axar was fetched many runs with his bat, he was still used at number six and seven in the order.
Speaking about Axar, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticised the DC management for not promoting the all-rounder up in the batting-order, despite his back-to-back good performances.
“Then there was the stubborn, almost defiant refusal to promote the in-form Axar Patel up the batting order. It prompted Ravi Shastri, who had coached the Indian team until last year and seen the batting ability that Axar has, to question if there was something in the contract that said Patel wouldn’t bat above number 7 in the batting order,” wrote Gavaskar in his latest column for Sportstar.
Axar has finished the IPL 2023 with a total of 283 runs at a strike rate of 139.41. Apart from this, he also scalped 11 wickets.
Talking about DC, they played their last match against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, where they faced a defeat by 77 runs. The Super Kings then defeated Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 1 to enter the final.
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