Delhi Capitals (DC) will miss the presence of their regular skipper and star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 which is slated to kick off from March 31. Pant suffered a brutal car accident last December and is still recovering from it, hence, won't be able to feature in the sixteenth edition of the glitzy league. In Pant's absence, David Warner has taken up the captaincy mantle and thus will be seen leading DC in IPL 2023.
Meanwhile former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly sent special wish to Pant and said that he has got a lot of time left in his career and thus advised him to not to rush his rehabilitation.
During a pre-season camp at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi ahead of the IPL 2023, the Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket Ganguly also promised that he will go and meet the Indian star.
"I am sure that the national team is missing him as well. He's young and he has got a lot of time left in his career. He's a special player and he must take his time to heal properly. We wish him all the best and I'll meet him as well," Ganguly said.
Pant's accident took place on the Delhi-Dehradun highway when Pant's car crashed into a divider. He was returning home from the national capital when he fell asleep at the wheel and lost control of his vehicle.
Few days back, DC's coach Ricky Ponting has come up with a unique plan to pay Pant a perfect tribute and make him participate in IPL in a different way.
"In an ideal world for me, he’d be sitting next to me in the dugout every match. But if that’s not possible, we’d like to make him part of the team in ways possible. We can have his number on our shirts or on caps. Just to make it clear that he’s our leader, even if he’s not with us,” Ponting said.
Ganguly, who is looking forward to DC's upcoming season, was also effusive in his praise for coach Ricky Ponting and termed him ‘fantastic’.
"It's been great to work with the boys and I am looking forward to the season starting. Net practice is good, but we want to get into match mode. And Ricky has been fantastic. He brings a lot of intensity during training," Ganguly said.
"David Warner is looking forward to leading the side. He's always up for the challenge and he's a great player. He has got a lot of runs and experience under his belt," Ganguly added.
Meanwhile, DC will open their IPL campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1 in Lucknow.
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