Will Rishabh Pant feature in entire IPL 2024? Ponting reveals
Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting, February 7, stated that Rishabh Pant is "confident of playing the entirety of this year's IPL". Pant, who began batting practice in August, has been away from action since being involved in a horrific car crash in December 2022. Ponting said that that the 26-year-old is all set to return to professional cricket. Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
Pant, the DC skipper, has been India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter across formats for the last few years. However, the deadly car crash forced him to miss several marquee events, including IPL 2023. Pant met with a fatal car accident while driving near Roorkee on December 30. He sustained several cuts and fractures throughout his body. Pant has shown exemplary tenacity and grit thereafter.
Pant confident of playing IPL 2024: Ponting
"Rishabh is very confident that he's going to be right to play. In what capacity, we're not quite sure yet. You would have seen all the social-media stuff, he's up and about and running well," said Ponting. "In saying that we're only six weeks away from the first game as well. So we're not sure if we'll get wicketkeeping out of him this year."
A boost for DC
Pant returning to the field will be a big boost for DC as he can be that middle-order dasher that they needed desperately. It remains unclear if he can keep wickets immediately after returning or not, but even without his wicket-keeping, the 26-year-old is an asset. His captaincy and fearless approach on the field will certainly bolster the franchise.
David Warner led DC in IPL 2023
In Pant's absence, Australia's David Warner captained the Capitals last season. It was a forgettable season though, as they finished second last, winning only five out of 14 games. Warner tried his best, but the young DC unit lacked that motivation in crunch matches. They started poorly and took a lot of time to settle. Hopefully, Pant can change DC's fortunes in 2024.
Other notable developments
While Pant remains confident of pulling off an entire IPL season, Ponting is focused on managing his workload. He feels even if Pant plays 10 of the 14 matches, it will be a "bouns for the side". Ponting revealed that Pant wants to "keep wickets and bat at number four" in every match. He further asserted that Warner will lead in Pant's absence.
A look at Pant's IPL numbers
Ever since making his debut in IPL 2016, Pant has always featured for Delhi. Overall, he has played in 98 IPL clashes, amassing 2,838 runs at an average of 34.61. The wicket-keeper dasher has hammered 15 fifties and a solitary ton in the competition (SR: 147.97). Pant has captained DC in 30 IPL matches while guiding them to 16 wins.
