IPL 2019: Axar Patel Bags Lucrative IPL deal
May 31, 2023 at 12:56 PM
Axar Patel was always going to be a big attraction in the Indian Premier League auction after being released by Kings XI Punjab. Although he had to failed to perform as per expectations in the last edition, his talent was never in question.
A slow left-arm bowler is always a sought out option for the franchises and Axar perfectly fitted the bill. What further bolsters his reputation is his batting skills and fielding. The left arm-spinner has picked up 61 wickets in 68 T20 matches and has a decent economy rate of 7.52. And as expected, he caused a massive war in the ongoing auction after setting his base price at INR 1 crore.
His former side Kings XI Punjab started the bidding war before Delhi Capitals entered the race. Neither of the two teams were ready to give up as both the teams were desperate to secure his services. However, in the end Kings XI Punjab conceded the race as Delhi Capitals signed Axar for a whopping amount of INR 5 crore.
The national capital-based outfit is one of the perennial underachievers in the league. More often than not, they have ended up with the wooden spoon.
In eleven seasons, they progressed ahead of the league stage just thrice and are yet to reach the final. Their last play-off appearance came way back in 2012. Since then, they have not managed to finish above sixth. Hopes were high when they assembled a strong squad last year. But they disappointed once again and failed to progress to the next stage.