Cricket

BCCI Asks Delhi Capitals To "Avoid" Rishabh Pant Jersey Gesture In IPL

Injured Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant will watch the team's home opener against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday from the stands at Feroz Shah Kotla. It can also sit in the dugout if the franchise can get the required clearance from the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). “Rishabh has always been an integral part of Delhi Capitals and he is likely to feature for the first home game of the season 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 Capitals' camp told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Pant met with a tragic car accident last December which kept him out of competitive cricket for a long time. He was injured in his right knee and has yet to start walking and making adjustments.

The BCCI is "not happy" with the move of DC's jersey in the first game

In the opening match against Lucknow Super Giants, the DC team hung their 17 skipper's shirt on the dugout as a sign that he "always carries the team". However, an IPL source told PTI that the BCCI made it clear that such a move seemed "a little over the top" and was at some level "unauthorized."

“That seems a little more. The move is set in case of a major disaster or abandonment. In this case, not yet. Rishabh is well and truly on the road to recovery faster than expected. So, though it was done with good intentions, we learned that the BCCI has respectfully told the officials to avoid such a move in future,” said an IPL source.

It is understood that it was head coach Ricky Ponting's idea to introduce the Pant shirt from the dug-out

The number 17 pants will be written on each shirt during the game

The Delhi Chiefs will honor Pant by donating his shirt number to all players in a match when a team wears a different colour. However, the shirt number must be written on one side and it will not be a violation of the player's shirt number.

"Every season, DC wears different uniforms for the same game. In this game, everyone has to write the jersey number of Pant on his shirt. However, there are specific rules for the logo and it will be a small text in the corner," the source said.