NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals have pressed the reset button ahead of the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League and will have a new captain, and plenty of fresh faces, from the upcoming season. Wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel believes that Delhi Capitals’ long wait for the title will finally end under new captain Axar Patel.
Porel, who was retained by the franchise, highlighted Axar’s deep understanding of the team, having spent six years with the Delhi outfit. Axar has been a part of the Delhi Capitals setup since 2019 and has become a crucial player in India’s white-ball set-up too.
“Axar bhai has been with Delhi Capitals for the last 3-4 (7) years, so he knows everything. He is a good choice. It’s good for us too. He is like a big brother and has helped me a lot, both on and off the field. He is funny off the field and focused on the field. I am really excited to play under him, and I am sure DC will win a trophy under his captaincy,” said Porel during a select media interaction.
‘TU KAR SAKTA HAI’
“I love challenges” — that’s what Porel said while recalling interactions with Rishabh Pant during his time as DC captain. Pant departed from Delhi Capitals last season and will be donning the captaincy hat for a new team this season — Lucknow Super Giants.
Porel also revealed that he has now become more fearless in his approach and credited former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who served as the Director of Cricket for the franchise last season, for this transformation. Delhi Capitals have revamped their backroom staff, appointing Venugopal Rao as the new Director of Cricket while Ganguly transitions to focus on the Women’s Premier League.
“For me, DC has given me a lot of opportunities. I am really thankful to them. My cricket has gone to another level with these opportunities. Ganguly sir helped me a lot and backed me as well. ‘Khul ke khelo, khul ke batting karo’ – that’s what Ganguly sir always told me,” Porel said.
The youngster is now pumped up for the upcoming season and will draw a lot of confidence from the successful outings in the domestic circuit for Bengal.
“Last year, I spent a lot of time with both Ricky sir and Rishabh bhai. They both motivated me a lot. They taught me many things. Rishabh bhai used to have a lot of chats with me. Whenever I batted, he would say, ‘Tu kar sakta hai, tu achha khelta hai.’ I will take those learnings from Rishabh bhai this season. This season, DC has a new support staff, and they are highly talented. They are frank and very friendly.
“I love challenges. From what I was to what I am now, I can see a lot of improvement in my performance and game. For the last 12 months, I have focused on my game and worked on my mental strength. The game has changed a lot and is becoming faster and more challenging. So, I am trying my best to match up to that. The level of cricket has gone really high. I play domestic cricket, but when I wasn’t playing or during non-cricket days, I worked a lot at NCA. I had an impressive domestic season, and my ultimate aim is to do well this season,” he said.
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