Former South African gun fast bowler Dale Steyn has urged Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel to take more onus on his shoulders and bowl more overs in IPL 2026. Patel had a poor season with the ball in IPL 2025, managing only five wickets in 11 innings.

The left-arm orthodox spinner bowled a total of 34 overs in the previous season. DC had also failed to qualify for the playoffs and Patel would want to contribute in a positive manner with the ball.

Patel has scalped 128 wickets in 162 IPL matches at an average of 31.61 and economy rate of 7.35.

Dale Steyn said on ESPN Cricinfo, “He (Axar) and the coach would have sat down and said they need more overs from him. He plays for India and is the No.1 player in DC, with a lot of youngsters looking up to him. So he needs to be bowling the overs, and he will do that surely this season.”

“I find it so strange. But it happens sometimes that a bowler-captain gets clouded and always thinks about looking in another direction. Because he is the captain, he doesn’t want to look like he is potentially selfish by taking on an opportunity. But Axar Patel will definitely look at last season and think about where to improve.”

The former RCB bowler reckons Patel can bowl in the Powerplay overs against LSG’s openers – Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram – as he can take the ball away from the right-handers.

“It’s obviously an option to use him in the powerplay against Marsh and Markram. But it’s up to him where he bowls. Maybe one over in the powerplay with two right-handers and then bowl in tandem with Kuldeep Yadav in the middle. It could help keep things under control by speeding through the overs to put the batters under pressure. So he might be better suited there, but if there is a matchup that suits him, then give himself an over in the powerplay,” said Steyn (via the aforementioned source).

Patel has elected to bowl first against LSG after winning the toss at Lucknow on Wednesday.