Star batter Rishabh Pant, who is on the road to recovery, is not part of the ongoing 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but his IPL team Delhi Capitals found a unique way to mark his presence in the dugout. Rishabh Pant suffered major injuries last year after a horrific car crash in December 2022, forcing him to miss this year's IPL, also ruling him out of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India.
In order to pay respect to one of their most valuable players ever, franchise Delhi Capitals decided to put Rishabh Pant's jersey on top of their dugout in their IPL 2023 opening game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Stadium.
In Rishabh Pant's absence, former Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner was named captain of Delhi Capitals for IPL 2023. Notably, the franchise is yet to secure an IPL final.
Delhi Capitals won the toss and elected to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants. Even during the toss, Warner remembered Pant as he sent his best wishes to the star wicket-keeper batter.
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"Going to have a bowl. For us, it's about trying to assess conditions early and knowing what to chase. It can be quite confusing, maybe stressful at times (impact player). I'm excited to be back. We send our best out to Rishabh, "said Delhi Capitals captain David Warner after winning the toss.