Gujarat and Karnataka locked horns today in the Group B clash today at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The stadium and the sparse crowd witnessed a lot of runs being scored in the match, 454 to be precise, as Gujarat won the match by 48 runs. Their skipper Axar Patel shined with his all-round brilliance in the encounter and deservingly won the player of the match award.
Axar is the captaincy contender for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025 and is one of the retained players as well. The co-owner of the franchise, Parth Jindal recently said that the all-rounder has been with the team for a long time and he is also in the race to become the captain of the team. Close on the heels of these comments, Axar has proved his mettle yet again with his batting and bowling.
Gujarat smashed 251 runs batting first in their 20 overs and Axar played a crucial role in propelling the team’s total with his 18-ball half-century. He remained unbeaten on 56 off just 20 balls with two fours and six sixes to his name and then picked up two crucial wickets with the ball. The left-arm spinner dismissed opener Manish Pandey and Manoj Bhandage in his four-over spell while conceding only 22 runs. At the same time, the all-rounder was active on the field as well grabbing two catches.
Axar Patel, not for the first time, has shined with his all-round show. Having led from the front in the tournament so far, Axar is showcasing his leadership skills as well with Gujarat winning six out of seven matches so far this season. Overall, he has picked six wickets in seven outings so far to go with 134 runs with the bat in five innings at a strike rate of 171.79 and an average of 67.
” Axar Patel has been with the franchise for a very long time and he was the vice-captain for the last cycle, so we don’t know whether it’s going to be Axar or whether it’s going be somebody else,” Jindal said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo related to Delhi Capitals’ captaincy.