Rishabh Pant, the captain of Delhi Capitals (DC), was greeted with a standing ovation as he stepped onto the field to bat against Punjab Kings, marking his return to competitive cricket after a 15-month hiatus.
In a video shared online, fans can be seen enthusiastically applauding and standing as Pant takes the field. The IPL’s official account shared the clip with the following caption:
“Look who is out in the middle to bat”
You can watch the video here:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C42pXdPv6NL/?igsh=MWs5aG4zNHd0MG85ZQ==
For those unfamiliar, Rishabh Pant sat out the previous IPL season due to injuries sustained in a serious car accident on December 30, 2022. The 26-year-old underwent numerous surgeries and dedicated significant time to rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
Making his comeback, Pant scored 18 runs off 13 deliveries at a strike rate of 138.46 against PBKS in the IPL 2024 match on Saturday, hitting two boundaries in his innings.
In his brief time at the crease, Pant was given a second chance when Harshal Patel dropped him off Rahul Chahar in the 12th over. However, he was later dismissed in the following over bowled by Harshal.
Rishabh Pant’s next match will be against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on March 28, marking his 100th appearance in the IPL.
“Just want to enjoy the moment” –Rishabh Pant’s statement regarding his return to competitive cricket in the IPL
Rishabh Pant expressed his intention to begin anew and enjoy his comeback to competitive cricket through IPL 2024. At the toss, he mentioned:
“Really emotional time for me. Just want to enjoy the moment. Not thinking much. I think not worried about last season. Really exciting times. We have been preparing well.”
In the previous season, DC ended ninth in the standings while under David Warner’s leadership. This season, they aim to reverse their fortunes in pursuit of their first-ever IPL championship title.
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