- By Namrata Vijay
- Sat, 11 May 2024 07:36 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
RCB vs DC IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals star all-rounder Axar Patel will be leading Delhi Capitals from the front in their IPL 2024 clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday. Since Rishabh Pant will be serving a one-match ban, Axar will be leading the team in their must-win league-stage match.
During the pre-match press conference on Saturday, head coach Ricky Ponting revealed that Axar will be leading the charge against RCB as Pant has been handed a one-match ban, given by the match referee for breaking the IPL Code of Conduct.
“Axar Patel will be our captain tomorrow. He’s been the vice-captain of the franchise for the last couple of seasons. Very experienced IPL player, a very experienced international player. A very sensible guy who understands the game very well. He’s excited about it, to be honest,” Ponting told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
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“We started talking about it a couple of days ago about the possibility that Rishabh (Pant) might be banned. He’s got his head around it. We have done our bowlers meetings today, he’ll catch up with all the guys tonight, go through all the plans, and make sure he’s ready to lead the team tomorrow,” he added.
Sanction to Rishabh Pant
Besides the ban, Pant has also been charged with a huge fine due to the offense. DC had maintained the slow-over rate in their IPL 2024 clash against RR earlier this week.
“As it was his team’s third offense of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offenses, Rishabh Pant was fined Rs 30 lakh and suspended for one match,” the statement released by IPL said.
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The remaining players, who were part of the playing XI, along with the Impact player were also slapped with fines of Rs 12 lakhs or 50% of their match fees as per the statement.
The franchise had challenged the match referee’s decision and then the matter went to the BCCI’s ombudsman for review.
During the virtual hearing, the Ombudsman ensured that the match referee's decision was final.
Pant, DC head coach Ricky Ponting, and Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly attended the virtual meeting along with BCCI CEO Hemang Amin and the match referee