‘He will make sure the players are included’ – Delhi Capitals assistant coach Matthew Mott on Axar’s leadership style

Axar Patel, the skipper of Delhi Capitals (DC), has led the team to an impressive start in IPL 2025 with three consecutive victories, placing them at the top of the points table. Despite limited captaincy experience, having led Gujarat in just 23 matches across formats and captaining DC in only one game last season, Axar has made a strong impact.

DC assistant coach Matthew Mott, who joined the franchise ahead of this season, praised the left-arm bowler’s leadership style. He noted that the 31-year-old is not the sole voice in the dressing room. Mott highlighted the skipper’s inclusive approach, commending his ability to involve every member of the team in decision-making and create a collaborative environment.

“He’s been amazing. Obviously, I didn’t have a lot to do with him before this tournament, but he’s just got a great balance on cricket and life. A lot of the times, he’ll just summarise the group and make sure the players are included, they’re having fun, they’ve got a smile on their face. He talks a lot about that. I think he’s played enough cricket now to know that it can be a pretty fickle game at times. You’re well aware that when you’re winning, it’s all rosy and it’s all good,” said Mott ahead of DC’s game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Also read: IPL 2025: Match 24, RCB vs DC Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match between RCB vs DC?

The coach also revealed that the Indian cricketer maintains a positive attitude even during tough times and relies on the support of senior players and coaches rather than handling everything alone. He also admitted that the Gujarat-born cricketer seems to value working together and aims to bring out the best in those he works with in the team.

“I like to think that he’s got that character where if we do have a bad day, he’ll be just as positive. The message will be very similar. I think he also leverages off a lot of the other senior players in the group and the coaches.

“He’s not taking it all on himself. I think he’s got some fantastic people around him. He’s got a lot of experience to draw on, particularly at this venue. He doesn’t come across as being the only voice. He wants to leverage off others and make sure he’s getting the best out of the people around him,” added Mott.

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