IPL 2024 is a long time away but Delhi Capitals have already begun a reboot after a disastrous IPL 2023 season. While Ricky Ponting survives as the head coach, DC have parted ways with Ajit Agarkar and Shane Watson. However, there is still uncertainty over captain Rishabh Pant about whether he will be able to take the workload of a wicketkeeper. David Warner led the side in his absence.
Out of 13 support staff in IPL 2023, DC have had three assistant coaches, two fielding coaches and a bowling coach. However, Agarkar and Watson are not the only ones, a large number of coaching staff will also leave.
An area where Delhi Capitals struggled was in fielding. Despite two fielding coaches, things did not improve. With some of the top cricketing brains in the team, DC finished rock bottom. Ponting’s absence at the auction table too raised eyebrows. However, he did join over phone calls during the auction.
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But it was Rishabh Pant who DC missed the most. Pant suffered a horrific car crash and missed the IPL. Having let KS Bharat go ahead with the auction, DC did not have many keeping options on the bench. DC did try Sarfaraz Khan. But it did not work out. Similarly, Abhishek Porel too did not work out. Having struggled to fit in Phil Salt due to foreign player restrictions initially, DC finally found a keeper. However, the season was already a lost cause by then.
Will Rishabh Pant be available for IPL 2024?
However, the biggest question, for now, is whether Pant will be fit to play in IPL 2024. Also, the bigger question is whether he will be able to keep wickets. While Pant has made remarkable progress, it’s still uncertain whether he can keep wickets for a considerable time. Even BCCI is not sure.
“Rishabh’s progress is remarkable. But at this stage, it’s very difficult to say whether he will resume keeping straightaway. It may take 3 months once he returns to practice or may take more than 6 months. We are not sure. We all have to take this slowly. Rishabh is young and has a lot of time to play cricket. But with the kind of injury he has had, he cannot be rushed,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.
As time passes, more will be known on Rishabh Pant. The youngster is on the path to recovery and likely to be match fit as a batter by January. But with uncertainty over his keeping, Delhi Capitals will need a cover for Rishabh Pant as a keeper.
Delhi Capitals Support Staff IPL 2023
- Director of Cricket: Sourav Ganguly
- Head Coach: Ricky Ponting
- Assistant Coach: Ajit Agarkar (Left)
- Assistant Coach: Pravin Amre
- Assistant Coach: Shane Watson (Left)
- Fielding Coach: Biju George
- Assistant Fielding Coach: Y Gnaneswara Rao
- Bowling Coach: James Hopes
- Physio: Patrick Farhart
- Assistant Physio: Deep Tomar
- Team Doctor: Dr. Abhijit Salvi
- Team Analyst: Sriram Somayajula
- Strength and Conditioning Coach: Vivek Ramakrishna
- Asst. Strength And Conditioning Coach: Wayne Lombard
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