The regular captain of Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant who is currently injured is expected to watch the team’s first home game of the IPL 2023 season from the Feroz Shah Kotla stands. The match will take place on Tuesday( April 4) against the Gujarat Titans.
Delhi Capitals management is also planning to bring Rishabh Pant into the dugout if the franchise can obtain the necessary approval from the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).
A source from the Delhi Capitals management has talked to BCCI and said, “Rishabh has always been an integral part of Delhi Capitals. There is a high possibility that he will be present for the season’s first home game against GT on Tuesday. He will be in the team owner’s box but if ACSU allows, he might also sit for some time in the team dug-out.”
During the first match against the Lucknow Super Giants, the Delhi Capitals team hung Pant’s jersey with the number 17 at the top of the dug-out as a symbol that he remains “connected to the team in spirit.”
However, the BCCI is not happy with the decision of Delhi Capitals and they have asked the management not to perform such an act ahead of.
“It seemed a bit over the top. Such a gesture is reserved in case of ultimate tragedy or retirement. In this case, it was neither. Rishabh is well and truly on his way to recovery faster than he expected. So while it was done with a noble intention, it is learned that the BCCI has politely told the franchise to avoid such a gesture in future,” the IPL source said.
The sources claim that it was DC’s head coach Ricky Ponting who planted the idea to display Pant’s Jersey during the opening encounter of the team against Lucknow Super Giants.
Pant was involved in a terrible car accident last December that has prevented him from participating in professional cricket for a specific time. He had an operation on his right knee and he is in the rehab process.
