IPL 2023Absence of Rishabh Pant leaves a big hole in Delhi Capitals, says Ricky Ponting

By India Today Sports DeskDelhi Capitals’ (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting said that the team is yet to finalise a wicketkeeper for the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The left-handed Pant won’t be a part of the upcoming IPL after the freak accident he suffered at the Delhi-Dehradun highway a few weeks ago.

Ponting admitted that Pant’s absence has created a massive void in the DC team. Even as the Capitals named David Warner as their skipper for the IPL edition, they are yet to find an apt replacement for Pant.

“We haven’t decided yet. That’s what the practice games are all about. That’s obviously another hole that Rishabh leaves even with the impact player rule that’s coming into the IPL. There are lots of players with us, you can think about using different players and wicketkeepers. Right now, we have had some guys on trial in Kolkata. Some of the keepers were there training for the last five or six days. We will have a look at those guys in the practice games,” Ponting said to the reporters.

Ponting also shared an update on Sarfaraz Khan, who sustained a finger injury, which ruled him out of the Irani Cup match against Madhya Pradesh. Ponting said that having undergone rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy, Sarfaraz is up and running.

“He will be joining us today and he has been at the NCA for the last few weeks, recovering from that fractured finger,” Ponting added.

The Capitals are scheduled to play their first match against KL Rahul’s Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday, April 1 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.