“Pant must take his time to heal properly, he has a lot of time left in his career,” says Sourav Ganguly

New Delhi [India], March 26 (ANI): Former BCCI president and Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly said India’s wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who is currently recovering from injuries sustained in a horrific car accident last year, “must take his time to heal properly” from his injuries and the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise DC will definitely miss him.

Delhi Capitals will kickstart their IPL campaign against Lucknow Super Giants from April 1 onwards.
“I am sure that the national team is missing him as well. He’s young and he has got a lot of time left in his career. He’s a special player and he must take his time to heal properly. We wish him all the best and I’ll meet him as well,” Sourav Ganguly said in a release issued by the Delhi Capitals.

Pant has played 98 matches for DC, having scored 2,838 runs at an average of 34.61 at a strike rate of 147.97. He has scored one century and 15 half-centuries.

Ganguly has been keenly observing all the players during the pre-season camp at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi in the lead-up to the IPL 2023.

Speaking about the season, the former India Captain said, “It’s been great to work with the boys and I am looking forward to the season starting. Net practice is good, but we want to get into match mode. And Ricky has been fantastic. He brings a lot of intensity during training.”

Delhi Capitals named David Warner as captain in absence of Pant this season.

When asked about Delhi Capitals’ captain for IPL 2023, Ganguly said, “David Warner is looking forward to leading the side. He’s always up for the challenge and he’s a great player. He has got a lot of runs and experience under his belt.”

This will be the second time Warner leads the Capitals. In his previous stint with the franchise from 2009 and 2013, he led the side in a couple of matches. The opener was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014 and in 2016, he led the side to their maiden title. In terms of matches won Warner is the fifth joint-most successful skipper. He has won 35 out of 69 matches as a captain, lost 32 and tied two matches.

The IPL 2023 will kick off from March 31 onwards with a match between defending champions Gujarat Titans and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings. DC will play their first home game against Gujarat Titans on April 4 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.