Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting has confirmed the player who will lead the team in Rishabh Pant's absence for the clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday, May 12. DC will be without Pant, who has been handed a fine and one-match suspension due to his team's third slower-rate offence in the ongoing season.
Ponting has reportedly confirmed that all-rounder Axar Patel will be doing the captaincy duties of the side for this game. The confirmation comes on the eve of their games against RCB at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and hours after IPL's governing council confirmed Pant's punishment.
"Mr Rishabh Pant, Captain, Delhi Capitals has been fined has been fined and suspended for one match for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match 56 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on May 07, 2024," the IPL governing council said in a statement.
"As it was his team’s third offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Rishabh Pant was fined INR 30 Lac and suspended for one match. The rest of the members of the Playing XI, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either INR 12 Lac or 50 per cent of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser," the body added.
DC are still in the race for the playoffs and have to face RCB and Lucknow Super Giants in their last two games. The Capitals have 12 points (6 wins) in 12 matches and are placed in the fifth position in the points table. If they win both of their games, DC will stand a realistic chance of making it through while stopping RCB's winning march and also ending LSG's hopes of reaching to 16 points.
Axar has been a star performer for the Capitals in the ongoing season and in the previous season too. This year, Axar has made 164 runs and has taken 10 wickets too. Last season, the all-rounder amassed 283 runs while snaring 11 scalps.
