Former Indian opener and commentator Aakash Chopra has shared his views on who should lead Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2027 season. Notably, Axar Patel, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are some of the key options for DC.
Speaking on JioStar’s Game Plan, Chopra revealed that, according to his sources, Axar doesn’t want to lead the Delhi-based franchise in the upcoming season, adding that it could open a chance for KL Rahul to lead the team.
“There are multiple questions, actually. It’s an MCQ because who will be the captain? Rishabh Pant has been a captaincy candidate, KL Rahul is an option, and I’m hearing that Axar doesn’t want to be the captain. So, with everything going on, you don’t even know who will captain the side. It could well be KL Rahul at this stage,” Chopra said.
In June 2026, former Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant returned to DC while the veteran leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav joined LSG following one of the most significant player trades in IPL history.
Notably, Pant had captained DC between 2021 and 2024 before moving to Lucknow, where he captained the franchise in IPL 2025 and 2026. Further, Chopra urged the DC team management to utilise Pant to his fullest potential after being wasted at LSG.
“And Rishabh Pant, now that you have traded him, must bat in the top four. If you are going to bat him lower than that, then you will not utilise him to his fullest potential. I felt that in that trade, LSG was better off because you couldn’t have asked for more than a bowler of Kuldeep’s calibre for that pitch,” he added.
Pant stepped down as captain of Lucknow Super Giants after a poor IPL 2026 campaign.
