Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has warned Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel not to be extra casual in his approach in the upcoming IPL 2026. Patel is known for his calm demeanor on the field, which would definitely help in a high-pressure tournament like the IPL.

However, Pujara said Patel must make sure that they don’t let the winning impetus slip away. DC got off to a promising start in the previous season, winning their first five games. But they veered off the track at the business end of the tournament, managing only one win in the last five games and thus could not qualify for the playoffs.

“Axar Patel is quite calm, he does not take too much pressure. His personality is really good, especially for the IPL where there is a lot of pressure. He backs his players, but he should be careful of not being over-relaxed. He should not be extra casual, and let momentum slip and go away from you. DC had momentum last year, but they let go of that. He has to be careful of that this season,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on Star Sports.

On the other hand, former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif backed Axar Patel to deliver the goods with the ball in the upcoming season. Patel had scalped only five wickets in 12 matches in IPL 2025 at an average of 57.60 and an economy rate of 8.47.

“Axar Patel can bowl with the new ball in the powerplay, but last year the problem was that he got only a few wickets because he did not have runs to defend. He will bowl with the new ball this time as well, then there is Kuldeep and Vipraj Nigam as well, so I am not concerned about that. The last season was not that great, but he will make a strong comeback this year,” he said.

Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants at Lucknow on 1st April.