Delhi Capitals (DC) witnessed a huge blow ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 when their skipper, Rishabh Pant got ruled out of the season. Pant survived a horrific accident in December 2022 and he is still recovering because of this he failed to mark his presence in the lucrative tournament. However, the Delhi Capitals didn’t leave any stone unturned to show respect to the missing player in their opening game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

Ahead of the clash between the two sides, Pant’s jersey could be seen hanging in DC’s dugout. The DC’s gesture certainly took the internet by storm and fans flooded social media with good wishes for the recovering player. It is to be noted that DC head coach Ricky Ponting had already stated earlier that replacing Pant is nearly ‘impossible’ for them.

It can be termed as a great sportsmanship from the Delhi Capitals. In Pant’s absence, Delhi Capitals have announced David Warner as the captain of the team for the IPL 2023. However, in the game, they won the toss and decided to bowl first citing the bowling friendly conditions.

“Always in our dugout. Always in our team,” the Capitals wrote as they shared a picture of the jersey on their official Twitter account.

The Capitals will be aiming for a strong comeback in 2023 after narrowly missing a spot in the playoffs last year; the side had finished fifth in 2022. Warner, who made a return to Capitals only last year, had enjoyed an impressive season in 2023, as he scored 432 runs in 12 matches at a brilliant strike rate of 150.52.

Earlier on Saturday, Warner won the toss and invited the hosts Lucknow to bat first at the Ekana Stadium. The side took the field with four overseas players; in addition to Warner, DC fielded Rovman Powell and Mitchell Marsh, and handed a debut cap to South Africa batter Rilee Russouw. Mukesh Kumar, the uncapped Indian player who DC bought for INR 5.5 crore, also made his Indian Premier League debut against LSG.

Here is how the netizens reacted to the gesture from Delhi Capitals for Rishabh Pant: