Axar Rajeshbhai Patel is an Indian international cricketer who plays as a left-arm orthodox spinner and a left-handed lower-order batsman. He represents India across all three formats and plays domestic cricket for Gujarat. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), he has been associated with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Capitals.
| Key Facts | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Axar Rajeshbhai Patel |
| Born | 20 January 1994, Anand, Gujarat, India |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Role | All-rounder |
| Domestic team | Gujarat |
| IPL teams | Kings XI Punjab / Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals |
| National side | India |
Axar Patel was born on 20 January 1994 in Anand, a town in the Charotar region of central Gujarat. He came up through Gujarat's age-group cricket structure before breaking into the senior state side. He is from the Patidar community of Gujarat and is unrelated by family to other Indian cricketers sharing the surname Patel.
Axar made his first-class debut for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy and gradually established himself as a frontline all-rounder in the state set-up. He was part of the Gujarat side that won the Ranji Trophy in the 2016–17 season, the state's first title in the competition, alongside the Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph the previous season.
Axar was first picked up by Mumbai Indians but did not play for them before being acquired by Kings XI Punjab, where he established himself as a dependable powerplay and middle-overs spinner who also contributed lower-order runs. He was a key member of the Punjab side that reached the IPL final in 2014. He later joined Delhi Capitals, where he became part of the franchise's core group, featuring in the 2020 final and contributing regularly with both bat and ball.
Axar made his One Day International debut for India in 2014 against Bangladesh and his Twenty20 International debut in the same year. In his early ODI career he was used primarily as a containing spinner, often opening the bowling and conceding few runs in the powerplay.
He made his Test debut in February 2021 against England at Chepauk, Chennai. In the four-Test series that followed, played at Chennai and the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Axar took a large haul of wickets in his first three matches, forming a potent spin partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin on turning home pitches. The series included the day-night Test at Ahmedabad in which India sealed a place in the inaugural World Test Championship final.
Axar has continued to feature in India's red-ball squads at home, where his accuracy and bounce as a tall left-arm spinner are particularly effective, and has been a regular in white-ball sides as a finisher and bowling all-rounder. He has been part of India's squads in ICC events including the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup, and was a member of the Indian squad that won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2024.
Axar bowls a tight left-arm orthodox line, typically at a slightly quicker pace than most finger spinners, relying on accuracy, the angle created by his height, and natural variation off the pitch rather than heavy turn. As a batter, he is a clean striker down the order and has played several useful innings for both India and his franchise teams, including in pressure run chases.
Axar is regarded as one of the leading spin all-rounders in Indian cricket of his generation. His emergence has given India depth in the spin-bowling all-rounder slot alongside players such as Ravindra Jadeja, and his lower-order batting has added balance to Indian sides in all three formats.