India's spin-bowling all-rounder Axar Patel was like a typical Indian teenager growing up. He wanted to be a mechanical engineer but fate had a different plan for him. The southpaw has earned a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad for the second time. Before Patel showcases his skills in the USA and West Indies, here’s a look at how he kickstarted his career.
Born on January 20, 1994, Axar wasn't the strongest growing up. His mate Dhiren Kansara saw something special in him and recommended him to play in an inter-state school cricket tournament. He started out as a bowler and later developed his all-rounder skills. In 2010, he met an unfortunate accident after he was selected in the Under-19 team. But the Gujarat-born all-rounder continued to work hard to fulfill his grandmother’s wish to see him play cricket on TV.
Axar’s stellar season in IPL 2014
Axar made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the 2014 season. In 2013, he was picked by Mumbai Indians (MI) but did not get a game. He made an impact and bagged 17 wickets in his debut season.
Axar’s T20I debut
In 2014, he was named in the ODI squad. Next year, he made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe and took three wickets. He won the 'Player of the match' award.
Axar’s hat-trick, move to DC
In IPL 2016, he bagged a hat-trick against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions. He picked four wickets in just five balls. He played for the Punjab-based franchise. Ahead of the 2019 auction, he was released. Delhi Capitals (DC) went after him and picked him for Rs 5 crore. He became an integral member of the franchise and was retained ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction for Rs 9 crore.
Axar’s T20 World Cup debut
Axar used to contribute down the order but yet to show his batting exploits in T20Is. He was picked in the T20 World Cup squad. On his T20 World Cup debut against Pakistan, he conceded 21 runs in just one over and was run out for a single-digit score.
He bagged two wickets and conceded just 18 runs against the Netherlands. In the Bangladesh clash, he scored just seven runs and remained wicketless from just one over he bowled. Against Zimbabwe, he took a beating but managed to take the last wicket of the innings. He was a part of the side in the semifinal against England as well. He did not get to bat and remained wicketless like any other Indian bowler in the game.
Axar’s T20I numbers
Axar’s maiden T20I half-century So far, he has played 52 T20Is and took 49 wickets at an average of 24.20. His economy rate is an impressive 7.26 runs per over. With the bat, he has been underwhelming with 361 runs from 31 innings at an average of 19.
Axar’s IPL numbers
The 30-year-old has played 150 games. He has scored 1,653 runs including three half-century. With the ball, he has 123 wickets. He also made his IPL captaincy debut in IPL 2024 as Rishabh Pant got banned for maintaining slow over-rate.
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