Delhi Capitals all-rounder Axar Patel has finally begun his preparation for IPL 2021 after recovering from COVID-19 on Thursday. Patel has missed four games until now after testing positive for the virus earlier this month.
Axar Patel was all smiles as he met his teammates in the bio-bubble after recovering from COVID-19. The all-rounder tested positive after joining the team in Mumbai with a negative report on March 28. He was then shifted to a medical care facility for his recovery.
“It has been great to come out of quarantine after 20 days and meet my teammates. This is the best moment in my life after my Test debut. I was alone in my room for 20 days and I didn’t have anything to do.”
That smile tells a story 💙
Welcome back to the field, @akshar2026 😍#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/tWX57z0Iho
— Delhi Capitals (Stay Home. Wear Double Masks😷) (@DelhiCapitals) April 23, 2021
Delhi Capitals brought in a temporary like-for-like replacement for Axar Patel in Shams Mulani, a left-arm-finger spin bowling allrounder from Mumbai. Patel is likely to go straight away in the team as his all-round skills offer the Capitals a good balance as he can provide depth in the batting too. In their last two matches, the Capitals fielded uncapped Indian allrounder, Lalit Yadav along with R Ashwin and Amit Mishra.
However, it is likely that Capitals will allow Patel a bit more time to recover and train and gain match fitness considering he has not played since the first T-20 game against England on March 12. The Capitals play their next game on April 25 against a struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad side in Chennai. DC is in a good run of form has won two back-to-back matches after a defeat. The last season’s runners up are playing some excellent cricket under the new captain Rishabh Pant. Delhi will be looking to continue the run of form and qualify for the playoffs.