Axar Rajeshbhai Patel is an Indian cricketer who was born on January 20, 1994, in Gujarat. For Gujarat, King XI Punjab, and India, he is an all-rounder. He is a hard-hitting left-handed batsman and a medium left-arm orthodox bowler, making him an all-rounder.
Axar had no desire to play cricket and instead aspired to be a mechanical engineer. His friend Dhiren Kansara first discovered his cricketing potential when he was 15 years old and encouraged him to participate in an inter-school tournament. His first name was spelled “Akshar,” but due to a blunder by his school principal, he spelled it “Axar” on his school leaving certificate, and he has gone by that name ever since.
Career
Domestic Career
In his first Ranji Trophy season in 2012, he only played one match, but in the 2013-14 season, he was one of Gujarat’s most prolific players, scoring 369 runs at an average of 46.12 and taking 29 wickets at an economy rate of 23.58 in seven matches. With seven wickets, including a four-for in the semi-final against UAE, the left-arm orthodox spinner was a main contributor to India Under-23s’ title win in the ACC Emerging Teams Cup 2013. As a result, in 2014, he was named “BCCI Under-19 Cricketer of the Year.” He was called to the India Red team’s squad for the 2019–20 Duleep Trophy in August 2019.He was called to India C’s squad for the 2019–20 Deodhar Trophy in October 2019.
IPL Career
Axar Patel, a Gujarati bowling all-rounder, had signed his first IPL contract with Mumbai Indians in 2013, and a move to KXIP the following season cemented his status as a household name in the sport. In IPL 9 (2016), Axar took a hat-trick for Kings XI Punjab, dismissing Dinesh Karthik, Dwayne Bravo, and Ravindra Jadeja in quick succession.
Axar was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 5 crore at the IPL auctions ahead of the 2019 season, making him the franchise’s second most expensive player. He was a regular in the KXIP line-up. Later, he was re-signed by the Delhi franchise for the IPL 2020 season. With his left-arm orthodox spin complementing the leg-spinners in the ranks, Axar’s presence in the side adds to the bowling department’s balance.
International Career
Patel was named to the Indian ODI squad for the Bangladesh tour after an outstanding performance in the 2014 IPL. He was also a member of the 15-man squad for the five-match series against Sri Lanka, where he took 11 wickets and scored 31 runs at a strike rate of 178. The selectors agreed to keep him in the squad for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand. During the game, however, he did not play a single match and only warmed the bench.After taking three wickets against Zimbabwe on June 20, 2016, Axar climbed to 13th place in the ICC ODI rankings, just three places behind India’s top bowler Ravichandran Ashwin.
Axar was also left out of the 2017 Champions Trophy squad, as the selectors preferred Jadeja’s expertise over Axar’s. After ejecting Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja from the side after the Champions Trophy, it seemed that Axar would become a regular feature in the side, but the arrival of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal meant that the Gujarat lad would have to make way for them. Axar last played an ODI against New Zealand in 2017.
On July 17, 2015, he made his Twenty20 International debut for India against Zimbabwe. In his debut, he bowled his entire quota of four overs, conceding 17 runs and taking three vital wickets, including Hamilton Masakadza, Elton Chigumbura, and Sikandar Raza. In 2015, Axar went on to play against the Proteas during their tour of the world. He appeared in two matches and only took one wicket. On February 24, 2018, he played his last T20I against South Africa in South Africa.