Sixteen bats, along with pads, shoes, thigh-pads and gloves went missing from Delhi Capitals players’ kit bags once they landed in the Capital on Sunday. The team flew from Bangalore that afternoon after their IPL league game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium the previous day.
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 players got to know about the loss on the day they received their kit bags in their respective rooms. The matter then reached the franchise officials, who lodged a complaint about mass stealing from their kit bags.
Delhi Capitals somehow managed to have a practice session on Tuesday. Few of them contacted their agents requesting their bat companies to send a few of them before the next game.
“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 confirmed.
