India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is currently on the road to recovery after surviving a horrific car crash last December.
While Rishabh is not taking part in the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL), the injured Delhi Capitals (DC) regular skipper is likely to watch the team's first home game against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday (April 4) from the Feroz Shah Kotla stands, PTI reported.
According to the report, Pant might also sit in the dug-out if the franchise can secure requisite permission from the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).
"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 definitely be in the team owner's box but if ACSU allows, he might also sit for some time in the team dug-out," an IPL source privy to the development in the DC camp told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
On 30th December 2022, Rishabh Pant’s car collided with a divider on the Delhi-Dehradun expressway and caught fire, forcing him to break the car window and get out of the vehicle.
Initially, Pant was treated at the Max Hospital in Dehradun for multiple injuries. However, the southpaw was shifted to Mumbai for surgery of his right knee, which took a major impact in the near-fatal accident. He has just started walking and doing his rehabilitation.
In their IPL 2023 opener against Lucknow Super Giants, the DC team had hung their captain’s jersey No. 17 on the roof of the dug-out as a gesture that he is "always with the team in spirit".
However, the BCCI isn’t pleased with the gesture and the governing body has reportedly asked the franchise to avoid doing it in future.
"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 one expected. So while it was done with a noble intention, it is learnt that BCCI has politely told the franchise to avoid such gesture in future," the IPL source said.
It is learnt that it was DC head coach Ricky Ponting's idea to display Pant's jersey from the dug-out.
Meanwhile, the report also claims that Delhi Capitals will be honouring Rishabh Pant by inscribing his jersey number on all the players during one of the games when the team will wear a different colour.
"Every season, DC wears a different jersey during one particular game. In that game, everyone will have Pant's jersey number inscribed on their jerseys. However there is specific rule for logo and it will be a small inscription in one corner," the source said.
(With PTI Inputs)
