Delhi Capitals are the only team yet to win a match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 with five successive losses in the T20 league so far. There is more bad news in store for the team ahead of their next IPL 2023 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday.
Ahead of DC’s sixth match, bats worth lakhs of rupees and other equipment of DC players’ went missing from their kit bags during transit from Bengaluru – where they played their last match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. According to an Indian Express report, 16 bats, pads, shoes, thigh-pads, and gloves were stolen from the players’ kit bags once they arrived in the capital from Bengaluru on Sunday after their IPL 2023 match against the RCB on Saturday
“Among the bats stolen from the players’ kit bags are three belonging to skipper David Warner, two of all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, three of wicketkeeper-batsman Phil Salt, and five of youngster Yash Dhull. A few other players have lost shoes, gloves and other cricketing equipment. The bats of foreign players cost around a lakh rupees each,” the report stated.
______ ______ _#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2023 #DCOnThePitch @ImIshant pic.twitter.com/rq8N9VvBtL
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 19, 2023
Delhi Capitals players found out after return to Delhi
Upon returning from Bengaluru, the players became aware of the incident when they received their respective kits and reported it to the franchise officials, who promptly filed an official complaint. While DC managed to conduct a practice session on Tuesday, the players contacted their agents for the new bats ahead of their match against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 20.
“All of them were shocked when they heard that everyone had lost something or the other from their kit bags. This is the first time such an incident has happened and the matter was soon raised to the logistics department, police and later at the airport. The investigation is on,” a source in Delhi Capitals was quoted as saying by the Indian Express newspaper.
The GMR Group and JSW-co-owned IPL franchise hires a logistics company which ensures that team kit bags and big luggage are flown in advance to the next destination during the T20 league in India. The DC players are asked to keep their kit bags outside their rooms after every game and the logistics company takes care of its transit. The players receive their kit bags outside their rooms at the venue they have travelled to.
