"Wicket-Taking Ability Was Missing": Irfan Pathan On Rs 16.50 Crore IPL Star
IPL 2026 begins on Saturday with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
- Irfan Pathan pointed out that Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel had a mediocre season with the ball last year
- Axar, who earns a salary of Rs 16.5 crore in DC, picked only five wickets in 12 matches
- "The wicket-taking ability was missing from Axar Patel's bowling last year," Pathan said
The Indian Premier League 2026 begins on Saturday with a match between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Last year, RCB finally broke their trophy drought with their first-ever title. The side's victory leaves only three teams without an IPL glory. They are Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings. While LSG joined the tournament in 2022, the Delhi and Punjab sides have been part of the event since its inception in 2008.
Ahead of the 19th season, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has pointed out that consistency has been the biggest concern for DC of late.
Pathan also pointed out that DC captain Axar Patel, who earns a salary of Rs 16.5 crore from the franchise, had a mediocre season with the ball as the left-arm orthodox missed his wicket-taking ability. In 12 matches last season, Axar picked only five wickets and scored 263 runs.
"The wicket-taking ability was missing from Axar Patel's bowling last year. His confidence will surely be high, but if he gets regular wickets from his end, they have Kuldeep Yadav, who is a wicket-taker, and Vipraj Nigam will also get a lot of support," said Pathan in a video on his YouTube channel.
"You won't see a spin-bowling pair like Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. You have to add Vipraj Nigam's name too. Along with Vipraj, they have two experienced players who have won back-to-back World Cups. You don't get that experience with the Indian core everywhere," he added.
DC started brilliantly last season, registering four consecutive wins. They defeated LSG, SRH, Chennai Super Kings and RCB before suffering a defeat to Mumbai Indians and losing momentum.
The Axar Patel-led side could win only three of their last ten games and finished at fifth spot in the points table.
Delhi Capitals begin their IPL 2026 campaign with a match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, on April 1.
Delhi Capitals
Irfan Pathan
Axar Patel