Axar Patel
Akshar Rajeshbhai Patel, also spelled as Axar Patel, (born 20 January 1994) is an Indian international cricketer He is a bowling All-rounder for the Indian cricket team and competes in all game formats. In addition, he participates in both the Indian Premier League for the Delhi Capitals and domestic cricket for Gujarat. He is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a left-handed hitter. On June 15, 2014, he played against Bangladesh in his first ODI. He was chosen for the 15-man Indian team that will compete in the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. On February 13, 2021, he played his first Test match for India against England and claimed 7 wickets. He became the ninth Indian bowler to record a five-wicket haul.
Early & Personal life
Axar Patel was born in Nadiad, Gujarat, on 20 January 1994. Akshar Rajeshbhai Patel was his real name at birth. Sanship Patel, his older brother, was born. Axar has loved the game since he was a little child, but he didn’t consider becoming a professional cricketer until he was 15 years old. He married Meha Patel on 26 January 2023 in Vadodara, Gujarat.
| Name | Akshar Rajeshbhai Patel |
| Born | 20 January 1994 Anand, Gujarat, India |
| Spouse | Meha Patel |
| Parent’s | Pritiben Patel, Rajesh Patel |
| Siblings | Shivangi Patel, Sanship Patel |
| Occupation | Cricket Player |
| Height | in feet & inches- 6’0” |
| Weight | 70kg approx. |
| Education | Engineering Dropout |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Active Year’s | 2012–present |
Domestic career
In the first innings of his second first-class match against Delhi in November 2013, Patel had 6 for 55. His first five-wicket haul came with this. Patel only appeared in one first-class game for Gujarat in his inaugural season, but he performed better in 2013. Prior to IPL 2013, the left-arm spinner, who was predominantly a bowling all-rounder, signed his maiden IPL deal with Mumbai Indians. Despite sitting on the sidelines the entire season, the team won that year. With seven wickets, including a four-for against UAE in the semi-final, he was one of the major factors in the India Under-23s’ 2013 ACC Emerging Teams Cup championship victory.
In the 2013–14 Ranji Trophy, he was one of Gujarat’s more reliable players, ending the campaign with 369 runs at an average of 46.12 and 29 wickets at 23.58. He was selected the BCCI Under-19 cricketer of the year for the 2012–2013 campaign in early 2014. He was included in the India Red team’s roster for the 2019–20 Duleep Trophy in August of that year.
IPL career
After signing with the IPL team Mumbai Indians in 2013, Patel did not play until the team released him. In 2014, Kings XI Punjab signed him, and he went on to have a successful season with 17 wickets. For the 2015 IPL season, the Kings XI Punjab kept him on staff. He took 13 wickets and scored 206 runs for the Kings XI Punjab in 2015 while batting lower down the order. He got four wickets in five deliveries, including the first (and only) hat-trick of the 2016 IPL season, on May 1, 2016, in a game against the Gujarat Lions, enabling Kings XI Punjab to defeat the league-leading Gujarat Lions by 23 runs. For the 2018 campaign, Kings XI Punjab kept him on.
Axar Patel became the second left-arm spinner after Dilip Doshi to take a five-for in his debut Test, becoming the ninth Indian player overall to do so. He was acquired by the Delhi Capitals in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League in December 2018. The Delhi Capitals kept him for the 2021 campaign.
International career
Patel was given a spot in the Indian ODI team for the tour to Bangladesh for his outstanding play in the 2014 IPL. He made his ODI debut in the first game of the series at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium and took 1/59 runs. He was one of the 15 players on India’s World Cup team in 2015. On July 17, 2015, he played for India in his first Twenty20 match against Zimbabwe. He was selected to participate for India in the 2019 Cricket World Cup as a standby player.
Patel was included in the Test team for India’s series against England in January 2021. On February 13, 2021, he played his first Test against England, marking his return to international cricket after an almost three-year absence. Joe Root was the victim of his first international Test wicket. He became the ninth Indian bowler to accomplish so on debut when he grabbed a five-wicket haul in England’s second innings of the same game. Axar finished as the second-highest wicket taker of the series with 27 wickets in the three games he played in his maiden series, taking them at a meagre average of 10.59. He scored his first Test half-century against New Zealand later that year.
Axar was selected for the Indian team to compete in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in September. But on October 13, 2021, Shardul Thakur took his place in India’s team. Patel was chosen for the Indian team in November 2021 in preparation for New Zealand’s tour of India. Rajeshbhai was selected for India’s team in June 2022 for their T20I series against Ireland. Patel achieved his first ODI half-century against the West Indies on July 25, 2022. He remained unblemished after scoring 64 runs off 35 balls, including a game-winning six.
