Capitals captain Rishabh Pant is set to grab the headlines as he is making a comeback to competitive cricket after 672 days in IPL 2024 against Punjab Kings at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday, March 23.
Pant has been on the sidelines for 15 months following a horrific car crash on Delhi-Dehradun highway on January 1, 2023. The 26-year-old suffered injuries on his knee, back, elbow and head due to the crash. He underwent surgery for his knee at Kolkilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai and thereafter, he was on bed rest.
Rishabh Pant underwent extensive rehabilitation at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Over the last few months, Pant made incredible progress in his recovery and started to play practice matches in order to test his fitness and form in Allur.
Much to the delight of the fans, Rishabh Pant was declared fit by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after receiving clearance from NCA.
‘It’s an emotional moment for me’: Rishabh Pant
Speaking at the toss presentation, Rishbah Pant stated that it is an emotional moment for him to return to cricket after a very injury layoff but he is not thinking about it as the DC skipper want to enjoy his game.
“We would have batted first. The wicket looks a little on the slower side.” Pant said after losing the toss to Punjab Kings’ skipper Shikhar Dhawan.
“It is a really emotional moment for me. I just want to enjoy every moment on the filed. Looking forward to my first match back. Really excited for the season.” he added.
The emotions were running among the fans as they long awaited to see Rishabh Pant stepping onto the field after recovering from injuries. Being on the sidelines, Pant missed the WTC Final 2023, Asia Cup and ODI World Cup.
In the absence of Rishabh Pant, David Warner led Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023 but failed to qualified for playoffs after finishing ninth in the league. Indian Cricket team and Delhi Capitals badly miss the presence of Pant on the field.
‘Jittery, Nervous, Excited’: Rishabh Pant Expresses His Emotions Ahead Of His Return In IPL 2024