IPL 2023: DDCA gears up to host Rishabh Pant with golf carts, makeshift ramp in DC vs GT-Sports News , Firstpost

File image of Rishabh Pant. Image: Sportzpics

Star India wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will be in attendance for the IPL 2023 contest between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Pant has been recovering after the horrific car accident in December last year and will be making his first public appearance on April 4.

DDCA joint secretary Rajan Manchanda confirmed to News18 CricketNext that Pant will be in attendance for the fixture.

“Yes, Rishabh aa raha hai (Rishabh is coming),” Manchanda told News18 CricketNext.

DDCA has received the necessary clearances for Pant and will leave it to him wherever he wants to sit to watch the fixture. DDCA Director Shyam Sharma said they have arranged for a golf cart, have arrangements for a ramp and want to make it as comfortable as possible for Pant.

“We have the clearances in place. It is up to Rishabh wherever he wants to sit. Whether with the owners, management or in the team dugout. We have arranged a golf cart, and preparations for a makeshift ramp are done. Everyone wants to see Pant in the stadium. It will be good for both Delhi fans and Pant too. It’s not easy to sit at home recovering from an injury. This outing will do a world of good to Pant,” said Sharma.

In build-up to the season, the Delhi Capitals contingent has made plenty of heart-warming gestures for Pant. At the pre-season presser, Ponting said the team could well sport Pant’s jersey in one of the games or have his number – 17 – on the helmets for one of the fixtures. The team also had his jersey prominently displayed in the dugout during their season opener vs Lucknow Super Giants last week.

“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 during a team event in Delhi before the tournament got underway.

The Pant hole

In absence of Pant, Delhi middle-order wears a fragile look and their keeping looks the worst-hit. Sarfaraz Khan was with the gloves for the first game of the franchise but the Mumbaikar looked out-of-sorts. The David Warner-led unit has already roped in young Abhishek Porel as a replacement for Pant and it remains to be seen how long the Sarfaraz experiment lasts this season.

After tasting defeat in the opener, Delhi would like to get their act right in the first home game of the season and are likely to include Anrich Nortje, who has joined the team after fulfilling international comments. Lungi Ngidi is another option available but both are unlikely to play since Delhi have to accommodate David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and one of Rilee Rossouw or Rovman Powell in the middle order.

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